A significant proportion of marine aquarium fish are collected using cyanide in coral reef environments, causing injuries and mortality to target species and widespread collateral damage to reef ecosystems.
Cyanide-caught fish die from organ damage over days to weeks after capture, making their suffering difficult to observe at the point of sale. The buyer sees an apparently healthy fish that deteriorates and dies mysteriously. Beyond individual fish, the reef organisms killed by cyanide application represent enormous collateral welfare harm to crustaceans, echinoderms, and other invertebrates across the impact zone.