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Help Protect the Banggai Cardinalfish from Import and Sale in the US

Dear John,

Indonesia's Banggai archipelago is the only wild home of the boldly striped and spotted Banggai cardinalfish. Their distinctive markings, however, make them a popular ornamental fish in public and private aquariums. In recent decades, millions have been captured and shipped around the world.

Overcollection of this diminutive fish has caused a catastrophic 90% population decline in the wild. The species has been eliminated from former strongholds, leaving only small, fragmented populations behind in other areas. Compounding the crisis, up to 80% percent of captured cardinalfish die before they even leave Indonesia.

The United States is the world's leading importer of fish for the aquarium trade. Although the species is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, an estimated 120,000 Banggai cardinalfish are imported into the US annually, and there is a robust domestic trade in the species.

In response to a petition from the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Defenders of Wildlife, NOAA is proposing to ban the import and export of Banggai cardinalfish. Unfortunately, the agency plans to allow continued domestic sales of the fish. Doing so would encourage wildlife traffickers to smuggle in wild-caught cardinalfish for domestic sale.

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What You Can Do
NOAA is currently accepting public comments on its proposed rule. Please submit a comment before the Monday, October 16 at 5PM EDT deadline, asking the agency to protect Banggai cardinalfish by banning not only their import and export, but also their domestic sale. ([link removed])

Be sure to share our action alert with family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to take action, too. As always, thank you very much for your help!

Sincerely,

Susan Millward
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer

P.S. Follow us on Facebook ([link removed]), X (formerly Twitter) ([link removed]), and Instagram ([link removed]) for other important animal protection actions and news. Check out the latest edition of the AWI Quarterly ([link removed])!

Photo by Iced Mocha

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Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003
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The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.

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900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003