There’s a new hub for very interesting and novel reef fish in the aquarium hobby and it’s the Philippines. This might be somewhat counterintuitive since so many of the fish for saltwater aquarium fish have come from this nation of islands for decades, but new collection efforts have recently started bringing up more cool fish that you can shake a frag at.
This explosion of new fish is led in large part by RVS Fishworld which seems to be showcasing fish either completely new, or previously regarded as unobtainable, on a nearly weekly basis. If you’re into rare and unusual fish, the last few months and year have brought us an unprecedented amount of novel eye candy.
If we could point to one thing that is enabling this renaissance of Filipino reef fish it’s RVS Fishworld’s commitment to a net training program. This effort, LED by RVS and supported by a small number of livestock dealers, has been responsible for training hundreds of ornamental fisherman.
It’s only these certified net trained fisherman who are allowed to work in regions of the Philippines that were previously off-limits. The hotbed for many of these new fish which include new species, rarely seen species, and otherwise very fancy fish is the northern region of the country.
It’s no surprise that the area between the Philippines and Japan would be full of so many new fish, but it’s actually a great case study for how sustainable practices can actually expand and grow our industry, rather than limiting it.
I’m trying desperately to keep up with all the new fish RVS is flaunting every few days. but in the meantime, it’s important to point out that it’s no coincidence that so many desirable species are now coming from the Philippines, and it’s even better to know that it’s sustainability which is leading this new charge.
Just follow the RVS Fishworld tag link for a complete overview of all the cool fish this net training program has surfaced in the last couple of years.
