The Aquarium Hobby Is Under Attack in Hawaii!!

The aquarium hobby seems like such a serene, benign past time yet there is a group of people who are vehemently opposed to our very existence. Once again the stakes have reached a critical level in the battleground of Hawaii…

Educational video highlights the sustainable side of marine fish collecting in Bali

As we go to the LFS on an near-weekly basis and look at all the near-identical marine fish, it’s hard to imagine that they don’t come from some kind of fish factory, even though we know they come from the ocean. Even…

MASNA Launches Hawaii Ban Fact Check

For all of you who wondered who was fighting for the “aquarist” in all the ongoing turmoil over the proposals to ban aquarium collection in Hawaii, the playing field just became a little more level.  MASNA (Marine Aquarium Societies of…

Sale of DiverTom.com is a rare opportunity to acquire your very own Florida fish collecting business

Now that the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals have come and gone, those of us you with a bit more spending cash can take our time to consider more luxurious things in life for our loved ones.  If that…

Kauai is second island to pass resolution to ban aquarium collection in Hawaii

The battle to outright ban the collection of aquarium fish has rapidly been reaching a fever pitch, with almost daily revelations and news being added to the controversy. Ret Talbot recently spent time in Hawaii, writing for both CORAL Magazine…

Hawaiian Ornamental Fishing Ban Passed Hawaii County Council 6-2

“Fish-collecting ban reso passes council – Supporters drown out opponents in testimony” was the news out of West Hawaii Today last week.  If you thought the most recent proposal to ban marine aquarium fish collection in Hawaii was just going…

Hawaii gets another proposal to ban marine aquarium fish collection

Talk of banning the collection of marine aquarium livestock in Hawaii is back again just eight months since Hawaii’s House Bill 580 was reported here on Reef Builders and only six months since we reported on HB580’s failure. Yet it seems…

EcoEZ PNG SEASMART Operations Hamstrung by Premature Funding Loss

We were starting to wonder what happened to the forecast December 2010 release of maricultured corals from SEASMART program in Papua New Guinea. Today it was announced that the loss of PNG government funding during the last quarter of 2010…

Sustainable Collection vs. Captive Breeding – Is There Room For Both?

You’re seeing it everywhere.  “Sustainability”.  You’re going to see this buzzword-of-the-decade coming up more and more as we debate a more responsible marine aquarium trade for the future, such as Ret Talbot’s hot-off-the-presses article on PNG’s Seasmart Program in this…

Kona revamps fish collection: Yellow tang may be limited, fish replenishment area may be swapped

Two key Kona, Hawaii councils have recently given their “seal of approval” on a proposal outlining new regulations for the island’s tropical fish harvest industry. The West Hawaii Fisheries Council recommended the changes to the Hawaii County Council, who in…