In the 1960's with the advent of the jet engine and fast travel between countries. It became increasingly apparent that money could be made by selling Marine fish to hobbyist around the world. The fishermen particularly in the Philippines are poor families. People forget that they can only fish for seven months of the year and for five months there is the monsoon period. hurricane and storms and they earn no money.

In order to catch fish there were various methods used ,which included bomb blasting. This involved making bombs and throwing them into the sea. the explosion then stunned the fish and they could be collected from the sea.The damage to the reef was considerable and often limbs and lives lost with pre mature explosions.

These collectors do not have access to sophisticated diving equipment. they are totally Dependant on thier ability to hold thier breath under water. that leaves no time for catching fish. The introduction of Cyanide went a long way towards resolving this problem. Cyanide tablets are placed in a washing up bottle. The diver jumps in. squirts the cyanide and returns to the boat to wait the results. Cyanide being a poison kills some fish. some are stunned and collected. The cyanide drifts across the reef killing fish, corals and inverts and whole lengths of reefs have been destroyed.

The cyanide remains in the intestines of the fish and severely hampers ita ability to eat and develop. in fact its dying before it arrives in the UK.I have been involved in the setting up of cyanide testing stations in the Philippines.supported organization such as the ILMA. and other local organization.The Marine aquarium council was formed with the objective of teaching collectors to use nets.They have had success in many parts of the world. So why does it still carry on.

In the absence of any diving equipment its impossible to stay under water long enough to catch fish. The basic hooker system which involved fitting a lorry compressor to the engine on the boat,and diving in with the pipe between the teeth.is as near to diving equipment your likely to find.You catch less fish per dive than with cyanide and therefore earn less money.

As long as importers around the world are happy to buy fish using this method it will continue. It can be stopped. We have run appeals for diving equipment. As long as its in usable condition we send it to collectors free of charge.We pay a higher price for fish caught with nets. We want to see cyanide testing carried out in all airports licensed for live stock in the EEC.

We believe that hobbyist have an enormous amount of information about the fish they keep in thier aquariums and that information should be used to the benefit of the breeding and husbandry of marine species.Click on the link to the left and join the ornamental fish breeder forum.

So what Now? The objective is to create sustainable fishing methods. where fish are collected from the reefs with out damage to the environment. That fishermen are able to collect fish from the reef by reducing the risks of bomb blasting and destructive fishing methods. That they earn sufficient money for the risk they take in collecting fish for your aquarium. Have the proper equipment to collect fish

What is behind this phenomenon. Money. Money earnt by the sale of cyanide tablets. unscupuloues exporters who pay pennies to the collectors who risk thier lives. Shops who dont care where the fish come from.

Ive kept net caught fish for 12/15 years. cyanide caught fish will rarely live for more than 12 months.which you then bbuy another, and then another.

We have been exploring the possibilities of alternative chemical to cyanide,that have no destructive properties. Many fish can not be caught by any other method. There are anesthetic used in the fishing industry which can be as effective.

Very few fishing communities benefited in any way from the tsunami fund. In Bali many communities suffer from the lack of tourist in the areas of the terrorists bomb explosions. These people should have benefit from the disaster fund and didn't. Our appeal from equipment continues. Our collectors benefit from higher payments per fish because the losses are substantially reduced.

We wish to register our considerable thanks to Ferdinand Cruz for his remarkable efforts over 40 years to the elimination of destructive fishing and the training of collectors in the use of nets.

The aquarium industry continues to ignore the issues facing countries in south east asia,where evidence to support the fact that 19 countries use cyanide to collect fish.

I have receive many complaints from hobbist who object to fish being transported over night by courier. However its the same boxes used to ship live fish from Indonesia. Philippines, Usa some taking over 40 hours. They don't object to the import of fish and corals.

There are complaints about the importation of sharks and sting rays. These are probably the same people who objected to the import of tortoises. There are now so many tortoises they are used live to fill pot holes in the road.very little is known about the behaviour of sharks. in order to protect them we first have to understand them. Our own experiences have proved that many myths about sharks are pure fantasy.

There are those who believe that the keeping of pets of any discripton is wrong. they dont however state what they would prepose to do with the millions of cats,dogs rabbits already pets world wide.

The succes of MAC in teaching local people the value of sustainable fishing means the reefs are removing and fish populations are improving. Even in areas of the tsunami there is visible improvement.

There are many conservationist who claim to support sustainable fish and the importation of certain species into the uk but do nothing practical to eliminate the root casuses of destruction of the oceans and the reefs other than complain out it.

So what can be done. Where I support the effots of the Marine Aquarium council in the elimination of Destructive fishing. the handling and shipping of marine aquarium fish. There is no real active support from the trade or the hobbist.

There are hundreds of aquarist who have given up the hobby because they believe they are to hard to keep. in fact the quality of the fish is the primary cause.

Support the efforts to reduce damage to the environment by donating unwanted equipment.

Blacktip Shark

Scientific name:	Carcharhinus limbatus
Distribution:	Off the east coast of the United States blacktip sharks range from New England to Mexico but are most commonly found between North Carolina and Texas, especially in spring and summer.
Habitat:	This shark inhabits shallow coastal waters and estuaries and offshore surface waters. Blacktip sharks use shallow inshore waters from South Carolina to Texas as nursery areas for their pups in spring and summer. They can be found in groups as young or adults feeding in shallow water.
Life history:	This species is a relatively fast growing shark, reaching maturity at about 4-5 years of age and living longer than 10 years. Number of pups per litter is usually 4 to 6. Maximum size of blacktips off the U.S. eastern seaboard is about 6 feet in length
Management:	In the Atlantic, blacktip sharks are part of the large coastal shark management group, which is overfished; commercial and recreational fishing regulations are in place for this species. In the Pacific, blacktip sharks are not landed in commercial and recreational fisheries and no management measures are in place for this species. Finning is prohibited.

• Grow slowly
• Take many years to mature (12 to 18 years in some species)
• Often reproduce only every other year
• Have few young per brood (only 2 pups in some species)
• Have specific requirements for nursery areas (bays and estuaries)
• Are caught in many types of fishing gear (hook and line, gillnet, trawl)

• Teeth that are replaced throughout their life
• Sensitive smell receptors
• Eyes that adapt quickly to low light levels
• Lateral line receptors that sense movement in the water
• Electroreceptors that detect electrical fields due to the presence of prey