![]() Leaving these exotic fish in the ocean reduces the risk of damage to the reefs and the long-term negative impact on the environment. Cyanide fishing is both hazardous to the health of the fish and damaging to the reef and the marine life that depends on it.Īn increased demand for blue tangs could leave reefs in danger of coral bleaching, while also allowing the algae blue tangs feed on to overgrow and smother the reef. Even though this practice is illegal in the Philippines, local municipalities lack the resources to enforce the law. In some countries, like the Philippines, people release cyanide into the water to stun the fish and cause them to float to the surface where they are easier to catch. The blue tang, on the other hand, has not been successfully bred in captivity and researchers are concerned that the release of the sequel “Finding Dory” will trigger a similar effect, causing demand for blue tang to rise beyond levels that can be sustainably met. Though clownfish can actually be easily bred in captivity, the massive unanticipated jump in demand for clownfish brought a threatened wild species that much closer to extinction. The “Finding Nemo” effect put an added strain on reef populations already fighting the pressures of global warming. While there’s no inherent problem with keeping a marine fish as a pet, 90% of the clownfish sold are taken from the wild. Audiences fell in love with the main characters Marlin and Nemo, both clownfish, as they struggled to avoid captivity, and they wanted their own Nemos. In 2003, the release of “Finding Nemo” was, ironically, followed by a 30 to 40% overnight increase in demand for pet clownfish. “Finding Dory” comes out next month and marine researchers are worried that history will repeat itself. Nemo was so cute and so difficult to find that once we found him, no one ever wanted to let him go again.
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