Re: Caribbean Fish Collecting (fwd)

Coral Forest (coral at igc.apc.org)
Thu, 09 May 1996 15:20:52 -0800

In reply to this note on quinaldine and cyanide use, I disagree with your
statements and the way you made them. I see no reason to be aggressive in
asserting your opinions on this network. Studies and anecdotal reports
have shown both quinaldine and cyanide to be damaging to coral reef
ecosystems and I would be happy to send you pages from these studies.
Several organizations including Coral Forest are working to end the use of
cyanide in the collection of food fish AND aquarium fish and in the
Philippines there are 10 labs to test fish for cyanide before exporting.
Our directors have travelled to the Philippines and witnessed the use of
cyanide for salt-water aquarium fish collection. It still happens in many
countries, unfortunately, without much regard for laws against it, where
they exist.

>I would like some documentation that quinaldine is damaging to reefs in the
>manner in which it is applied to specific fishes hiding in holes. I've used
>it, and frankly have never found it to be any more abusive than chasing a
>fish into a cluster of stony branching corals. - Bob Goldstein, 919-872-1174
>or RJGA at AOL.COM. As to cyanide collecting, other than the rabid rantings of
>one writer in FAMA, it seems cyanide is a method of collecting food fish, not
>aquarium fish, so can we please drop that garbage from the discussion? In the
>Philippines and some other places, bleach and other cheap chemicals work to
>collect fish that sometimes temporarily recover. And frankly, cyanide kills
>or it doesn't; there is no such thing as a chronic effect. The report a
>couple of years ago of damaged intestinal lining was a classic of
>pseudoscience, which ought to be dumped from our discussions too. If you want
>information on cyanide's effects, look to qualified veterinarians,
>physicians, biochemists, and other qualified scientists, and forget about the
>work of dummies with stains and no background in pathology.

Coral Forest
400 Montgomery St. Suite 1040
San Francisco, CA 94104 USA
Ph: (415)788-7333
Fax:(415)331-4064
E-mail: coral at igc.apc.org
web site: http://www.blacktop.com/coralforest