Hawaii's Reefs and Aquarium Fish Collection

Ancient Hawaiians believed in ahupua’a, a belief system emphasizing the interrelationship between elements and beings. They placed restrictions on fishing certain species, believing that doing so would sustain a livable lifestyle while protecting the ecology of their environment.

Going forward, we sometimes forget what our ancestors taught us – but we must not lose our way. Every year, millions of reef animals are collected on Hawai’i’s coral reefs (98% of all saltwater aquarium animals are caught in the wild). Populations of certain species have shown declines of 38% - 78% on the reefs they are taken from, negatively affecting the entire ecosystem.

Mortality rates of fish collected on our reefs is astronomical. While a fish can typically live 20 – 30 years on the reef, 99% do not live a year in captivity. Infant fish are targeted for collection and most don’t reproduce until they are a few years old, further affecting the future of our reefs.

image of fish on the reef

A healthy reef where wildlife is abundant.

image of diver collecting fish

98% of all saltwater aquarium animals are caught in the wild.

image of aquarium fish in a plastic bag

99% of captured fish will not live past a year.

image of reef overrun with algae

Capturing fish allows algae to grow, killing coral and altering the ecology of the reef.

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