Clouds on the horizon

But big industries often collide with sustainability of natural resources. For ornamental fish, the sheer volume of exports is raising concerns that the trade might not be sustainable for fish populations. And history shows that over-exploitation is a likely scenario.

High volume exports of reptile and mammal skins, cage birds, timber, medicinal plants, fish for human consumption have already dealt severe blows to several species in the Amazon Basin.

Other issues include the degradation of natural habitat and conversion. Mining activities and the use of agrochemicals - and in the case of Colombia, illicit crops and eradication methods - pose significant pollution risks for the waterways where fish live.

Scaling up to a regional strategy

Now WWF and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring arm of WWF, are taking ornamental fisheries to the next level. In the Orinoco, Amazon and Guiana forests, we are focusing on:

• Dealing with threats to fisheries
• Commercialization and market chains
• Norms and legal framework

To deal effectively with these issues, WWF is engaging with actors who are involved at different levels of the ornamental trade chain. These include resource users, government regulating agencies, buyers, exporters, importers, consumers and the environmental community.

What we need to do

At the legal level, a big priority for WWF is to harmonize the disjointed norms that prevail across borders of the Amazon Basin countries. For instance, from one country to another there are often differences in species that can be legally caught, authorized fishing periods, catch size and quotas etc.

Then, there is also a need to improve information flow, especially market information. This would help to match fish exploitation and exports to demand, reducing unnecessary and wasteful harvests.

Finally, we are looking at a certification schemes for chains of ornamental fisheries export that meet best practices.

How to get there

Tackling these ambitious goals requires good data - only then can the best decisions and strategies be made. We must:

• Improve knowledge of key species e.g. through population studies
• Identify critical areas for management, fish habitat needs, impacts of habitat deterioration
• Identify the best fish production models
• Carry out genetic analysis for specific species, e.g. Arawana
• Make market analyses e.g. potential of eco-labelling
• Increase consumer awareness about the impact of irresponsible fisheries.