What are its main object ives?

It is clear that sustainable capture or collection from the wild may play a valuable, or even invaluable, role in conservation.

But the ornamental fish industry is too small to be noticed!! Very wrong !!! The ornamental fish does get mentioned. Both positive and negative (see below) comments have been made. The industry should be represented to ensure a valid impression of the industry is given. Equally important, and some may say more importantly, to ensure feed back of valid criticisms and help industry to address them.

The issues of marine coastal biodiversity and inland freshwater biodiversity are under active consideration by the Convention further coverage of the issues raised will be given in later Newsletters.

Marine fish; we can win arguments with conservation groups

At the CBD meeting held in Jakarta in November 1995 a very inflated picture of the ornamental marine fish industry was given by a conservation group based in the Philippines. In front of an audience including the Deputy Minister of the Environment of Indonesia, they claimed that 1,800 tonnes wet weight of ornamental marine fish had been exported from the Philippines in the first 10 months of that year. The paper accompanying this presentation made the point that this EXCLUDED water and packaging. The packing densities of the fish for transport was reported as being 60 percent of freight weight.

After lively discussion between OATA and the conservation group and their colleagues, the picture had by 1997 completely altered. In their book "Sullied Seas" IMA now estimated the annual world import of ornamental fish as 180 tonnes wet weight. They estimated that 6.4 million fish were exported annually and this was 40 percent of the world trade. Putting the world trade at 15 million fish in line with OATA estimates made some years before.