John,
Banggai cardinalfish are small, iridescent fish who live in the intricate coral reefs of Indonesia’s Banggai Archipelago. For decades, they’ve been plucked from the wild at alarming rates to be shipped across the world for people’s aquariums.
These fish lost about 90% of their wild population in less than 15 years just to supply the aquarium trade — and they’re still declining. They’ve been completely wiped out from several of their former strongholds, and their last few populations are small and fragmented. When they’re netted from the wild, about 75-80% die even before they’re exported.
It's time to do something for these tiny, shiny swimmers.
The United States is the world’s largest importer of aquarium fish and a lead importer of Banggai cardinalfish. These fish are protected under the Endangered Species Act, but somehow it’s still legal to import and sell them in the United States.
In response to a petition from the Center and allies, NOAA Fisheries finally proposed to ban the import and export of Banggai cardinalfish … but not their sale. That just doesn’t make sense.
Tell the agency to protect these fancy fish before it’s too late by banning their import and sale. |
