Collecting expedition to new Hawaii location succeeds in catching masked angelfish

Posted on August 16th, 2010 by 40

So far. That’s right, not only have divers Rob Lower and Ron Tubbs succeeded in collecting two one masked angelfish, Genicanthus personatus, but it looks like they are aiming to collect a few more before the expedition to this dive spot is completed. The first two masked angelfish caught, a sizable female, has already been sold to EZ Marines Taiwan for a cool wholesale price of $6500. We gather that a male specimen would command upwards of $8000 to ten grand and there’s no telling which way the scale would go if they succeeded in catching a tiny one.

This first personatus angel is the first to be caught at a new location a short flight away from Honolulu where Rob and Ron succeeded in in finding the species at the reasonable diving depth of 257 feet. Apparently the divers are at least within cell phone signal as these cell phone pictures were sent via MMS. We imagine that Rob and Ron spent a lot of time scouting out the right location, finding this population and coming up with a game plan to catch them as these fish swim very differently than bandit angels.

We wish the divers the best in collecting a few more specimens of this near god-like angelfish species and we’ll keep you posted if any of them make it towards the continental US. Thanks to Rob for the pictures and information.update: we were misinformed about the number of G. pesonatus, turned out to be only one.

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  • animalmaster6

    Awesome!!!!!

  • animalmaster6

    Awesome!!!!!

  • http://www.lightning-maroon-clownfish.com Matt Pedersen

    +1

  • http://www.lightning-maroon-clownfish.com Matt Pedersen

    +1

  • Kentrob11

    Wow…8Gs for a saltwater bluegill lookalike?

  • Kentrob11

    Wow…8Gs for a saltwater bluegill lookalike?

  • Matt Wandell

    Nice work guys! But I have to say, if I had a fish worth that much in my possession there’s no way in hell I would remove it from the water or handle it for pictures.

  • Matt Wandell

    Nice work guys! But I have to say, if I had a fish worth that much in my possession there’s no way in hell I would remove it from the water or handle it for pictures.

  • Andy

    Great story guys but this will play right into the hands of those trying to shut Hawaii down.

    Several are working hard to favor a ban on the collection of endemics or “rear” fish in Hawaii.

    Read story below…

    “A tropical fish collecting ban? Senator plans to submit bill on the issue”
    http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2010/08/05/local/local01.txt

  • Andy

    Great story guys but this will play right into the hands of those trying to shut Hawaii down.

    Several are working hard to favor a ban on the collection of endemics or “rear” fish in Hawaii.

    Read story below…

    “A tropical fish collecting ban? Senator plans to submit bill on the issue”
    http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2010/08/05/local/local01.txt

  • http://www.mrsaltwatertank.com Mark Callahan

    257 feet?! Good lord.

  • http://www.mrsaltwatertank.com Mark Callahan

    257 feet?! Good lord.

  • http://blueworldaquariums.com Spencer

    Having a fish that valuable in my possession would quickly turn my hobby from highly enjoyable to highly stressful.

  • http://blueworldaquariums.com Spencer

    Having a fish that valuable in my possession would quickly turn my hobby from highly enjoyable to highly stressful.

  • DJ

    Yeah the term “stupid expensive” comes to mind here…. Seriously $8k????? I’d rather jar a nice used boat.

  • DJ

    Yeah the term “stupid expensive” comes to mind here…. Seriously $8k????? I’d rather jar a nice used boat.

  • Tim

    I think its ugly. $7,920.00 to much.

  • Tim

    I think its ugly. $7,920.00 to much.

  • jr

    +1 to Tim

  • jr

    +1 to Tim

  • Mike

    Great way to help fix with that trade gap! That’s net money coming into the US! Woohoo!

  • Mike

    Great way to help fix with that trade gap! That’s net money coming into the US! Woohoo!

  • Jason

    I don’t think responsible hobbyists should be supportive of collection of such rare fish. If they are so hard to find in the wild, its probably because there aren’t many of them around. Is it really necessary to take an already rare, possibly endangered species out of the wild just so some rich dude with 10K to blow on a fish can throw it in a tank and watch it slowly die over a couple of years?
    Come on, this is stupidity.

  • Jason

    I don’t think responsible hobbyists should be supportive of collection of such rare fish. If they are so hard to find in the wild, its probably because there aren’t many of them around. Is it really necessary to take an already rare, possibly endangered species out of the wild just so some rich dude with 10K to blow on a fish can throw it in a tank and watch it slowly die over a couple of years?
    Come on, this is stupidity.

  • David

    Guys, while there’s no doubt that they’re rare, they’re certainly not endangered. Collecting these at 250 ft is at the shallow range of where they are found, meaning there are many more that are much deeper (beyond where could realistically be collected). Additionally, there are more in protected spots around Hawaii. So, there are likely many more, just not in areas that can be collected from. I doubt pulling a few fish out is endangering breeding populations.

    Also, I think it is an EXTREMELY beautiful fish. Really, how many fish have you seen in your LFS with that color white? Also, if you haven’t seen a male, be sure to look it up. Absolutely stunning with white, black, and orange.

  • David

    Guys, while there’s no doubt that they’re rare, they’re certainly not endangered. Collecting these at 250 ft is at the shallow range of where they are found, meaning there are many more that are much deeper (beyond where could realistically be collected). Additionally, there are more in protected spots around Hawaii. So, there are likely many more, just not in areas that can be collected from. I doubt pulling a few fish out is endangering breeding populations.

    Also, I think it is an EXTREMELY beautiful fish. Really, how many fish have you seen in your LFS with that color white? Also, if you haven’t seen a male, be sure to look it up. Absolutely stunning with white, black, and orange.

  • One leg pirate

    Jason the reason that these fish are rare and expensive is because they are normally found below 350 feet. They are abundant at this depth it is just hard/near impossible to retrieve them.
    Search for wrought iron angle fish, that fish is retail goes for around $10,000. It is a rare fish but their are dive videos of thousands if not tens of thousands just swimming around. People call fish rare because it is rare to see in the aquarium trade not rare in the wild.
    @David- the males are amazing. Like a friend of mine says the look like creamsicles.

    I really hope some of these come state side.

  • One leg pirate

    Jason the reason that these fish are rare and expensive is because they are normally found below 350 feet. They are abundant at this depth it is just hard/near impossible to retrieve them.
    Search for wrought iron angle fish, that fish is retail goes for around $10,000. It is a rare fish but their are dive videos of thousands if not tens of thousands just swimming around. People call fish rare because it is rare to see in the aquarium trade not rare in the wild.
    @David- the males are amazing. Like a friend of mine says the look like creamsicles.

    I really hope some of these come state side.

  • Swim blatter

    Dead in a week.

  • Swim blatter

    Dead in a week.

  • Just sayin

    Swim Bladder, IMO

  • Just sayin

    Swim Bladder, IMO

  • Gresham

    @One leg Pirate

    A web search for Wrought Iron Angelfish brings up nothing for the most part but a search for Wrought Iron Butterfly fish gets a lot of hits and those do not sell for 10K.

    http://reefbuilders.com/2009/07/26/chaetodon-daedalma-liveaquarias-show-sized-wrought-i/

  • Gresham

    @One leg Pirate

    A web search for Wrought Iron Angelfish brings up nothing for the most part but a search for Wrought Iron Butterfly fish gets a lot of hits and those do not sell for 10K.

    http://reefbuilders.com/2009/07/26/chaetodon-daedalma-liveaquarias-show-sized-wrought-i/

  • One leg pirate

    I’m sorry I’m completely mixing names and fish. I’ll look for the video and let you know what I ment.

  • One leg pirate

    I’m sorry I’m completely mixing names and fish. I’ll look for the video and let you know what I ment.

  • James C.

    I think this is more a just because you can catch the fish, doesnt mean you should……

  • James C.

    I think this is more a just because you can catch the fish, doesnt mean you should……

  • jr

    i heard they paid thousands to make the trip, they probably lost money in the end.

  • jr

    i heard they paid thousands to make the trip, they probably lost money in the end.