Captive-bred fish live longer in consumer tanks than wild-harvested fish, due to the stressful transition from ocean to tank. There are a range of benefits from adopting a captive breeding strategy. Unfortunately for Dory, blue tangs are much harder to breed in captivity despite the first successful captive breeding of blue tangs in 2016, there is not enough supply to meet demand. Luckily for clownfish, they are easily bred in captivity, providing a sustainable way to keep clownfish as pets. To reduce the number of wild reef fish collected and sold for the aquarium trade, a more sustainable alternative is desperately needed. The loss of clownfish from their anemones makes their hosts more vulnerable to predators and climate-induced coral bleaching events. Unfortunately, this practice damages the surrounding coral, causing mortality of both corals and the invertebrates that hide in them. A popular method for collecting aquarium species is cyanide fishing, in which cyanide is used to stun the fish, making them easier to catch. Wild harvesting practices not only reduce population numbers but also disrupt the surrounding coral ecosystem. Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand are popular locations for clownfish harvesting, but these practices also occur in Australia, the Maldives and Hawaii, among others. To meet increasing demand for these species, more fish are being harvested each year, causing local population declines of up to 75% in some regions. This number includes not only clownfish, but also blue tang (Dory in Finding Nemo), moorish idol (Gill), and a range of other popular aquarium species. More and more people wanted to see and interact with clownfish, but not necessarily in their natural habitat: Everyone wanted a pet Nemo.īut all those fish have to come from somewhere.Īn alarming 90% of all aquarium fish have been wild harvested, resulting in around a million fish being removed from reefs globally each year. The popularity of this charismatic reef fish skyrocketed after the release of Finding Nemo.
Unfortunately, the film also had an unexpected and damaging impact on its star species, the clownfish. Following the film’s success, title character Nemo was thrust into the spotlight and is now one of the most recognisable fish in the world. Since its 2003 release, Pixar’s Finding Nemo has inspired a generation of ocean lovers and marine biologists, and instilled conservation values into children globally.
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