12 These animals are sold to zoos, pet stores, and bait shops, and many are doomed to live in plastic bags or bowls, neither of which provides the space or oxygen that goldfish need. 11 Goldfish, for instance, are usually bred in giant tubs in facilities that produce as many as 200 million fish per year.

10Īpproximately 90 percent of freshwater fish are raised on farms. 9 Marine biologists rank the poison as one of the biggest dangers in Southeast Asian waters. 8 The cyanide also kills coral and millions of other fish, invertebrates, and microscopic animals. 6 Collectors douse coral reefs with cyanide, which is ingested by the fish who live there, and as reported in Scientific American, “The resulting asphyxiation stuns some fish and sends others into spasms, making them easy to grab by hand or net.” 7 Studies have shown that as many as 75% of fish poisoned with cyanide die within hours of collection and that another 30% die before they’re ever shipped. for display are caught illegally using poison. 5Īccording to a 2008 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, up to 90% of saltwater fish brought to the U.S. 2 More than 30 million fish, along with millions of other types of marine life-such as anemones, shrimp, and mollusks-are captured every year to support a $200 million worldwide “hobby.” 3,4 Some species, such as the Banggai cardinalfish, have become threatened because of fishing. 1īecause most saltwater fish cannot be bred in captivity, up to 98% of those sold in pet stores come from the wild, mostly from the waters around Southeast Asia, Fiji, and Hawaii. While many species of coral are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, most fish who end up in aquariums are not. The popularity of keeping tropical fish has created a virtually unregulated industry that catches and breeds as many fish as possible, with little regard for the animals themselves.

Robbed of their natural habitats and denied the ability to travel freely, they must swim around endlessly in the same few cubic inches of water. Fragile tropical fish, who were born to dwell in the majestic seas and forage among brilliantly colored coral reefs, suffer miserably when they are forced to spend their lives in glass tanks.

Best aquarium screensaver reddit