The global marine aquarium trade captures millions of coral reef fish annually using collection methods that cause high mortality during capture and transport, with welfare and conservation implications for fragile reef ecosystems.
Wild capture of marine aquarium fish involves acute welfare harms at every stage of the supply chain. Cyanide fishing causes neurological damage, internal organ failure, and high delayed mortality in fish that appear to recover initially. Even net capture causes scale loss, fin damage, and handling stress. Transport in small containers with elevated ammonia and oxygen depletion causes additional stress and mortality. The survival of fish through the supply chain to the retail stage represents a fraction of those originally collected. The welfare case for choosing captive-bred marine fish over wild-caught is strong - captive breeding avoids wild capture stress entirely while also reducing reef ecosystem harm.