title: Opportunities for public aquariums to increase the sustainability of the aquatic animal trade.
abstract: The global aquatic pet trade encompasses a wide diversity of freshwater and marine organisms. While relying on a continual supply of healthy, vibrant aquatic animals, few sustainability initiatives exist within this sector. Public aquariums overlap this industry by acquiring many of the same species through the same sources. End users are also similar, as many aquarium visitors are home aquarists. Here we posit that this overlap with the pet trade gives aquariums significant opportunity to increase the sustainability of the trade in aquarium fishes and invertebrates. Improving the sustainability ethos and practices of the aquatic pet trade can carry a conservation benefit in terms of less waste, and protection of intact functioning ecosystems, at the same time as maintaining its economic and educational benefits and impacts. The relationship would also move forward the goal of public aquariums to advance aquatic conservation in a broad sense. For example, many public aquariums in North America have been instrumental in working with the seafood industry to enact positive change toward increased sustainability. The actions include being good consumers themselves, providing technical knowledge, and providing educational and outreach opportunities. These same opportunities exist for public aquariums to partner with the ornamental fish trade, which will serve to improve business, create new, more ethical and more dependable sources of aquatic animals for public aquariums, and perhaps most important, possibly transform the home aquarium industry from a threat, into a positive force for aquatic conservation.
authors.affiliation: Prescott Marine Laboratory, New England Aquarium, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. mtlusty@neaq.org
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Tlusty
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Rhyne
authors.forename: Les
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaufman
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hutchins
authors.forename: Gordon McGregor
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hemdal
authors.forename: Frazer
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McGilvray
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dowd
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture / Q000379:methods*; D059001:Aquatic Organisms; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D003663:Decision Trees; D005399:Fishes; D057805:Pets / Q000191:economics*; D013045:Species Specificity