OFI acknowledges the concerns raised in Martin Sheen's documentary, "Aquariums: The Dark Hobby."

While it is crucial to address and rectify harmful practices within the trade, it's equally important to recognize the significant strides made toward sustainability and ethical responsibility in recent years. Such statements made paint a distorted picture of the relationship between humans and animals and rely on exaggerated claims, lacking the robust scientific evidence needed to support the calls for sweeping bans on human interactions with animals, fish, and birds. Their positions are rooted in an extreme animal rights ideology that dismisses sustainable and responsible human-animal interactions, including those in the pet, aquaculture and agriculture industries.

Lack of Scientific Basis

It is essential to distinguish genuine conservation efforts from ideological agendas. While conservation should indeed be guided by science, the arguments put forth by these organisations frequently rely on anecdotal evidence or misrepresented data. Peer-reviewed research and comprehensive studies on the sustainable management of animal populations are often ignored in favour of emotional rhetoric.

For example, in the aquarium fish industry, sustainable practices such as captive breeding programs reduce pressure on wild populations and contribute to species conservation. Similarly, responsible aquaculture and regulated fishing practices provide vital protein sources to communities worldwide while maintaining ecological balance.

Human-Animal Interaction Is Vital

Banning all forms of human interaction with animals would have significant social, economic, and environmental consequences. Domesticated species, from livestock to companion animals, have coexisted with humans for thousands of years. Agriculture, including dairy, eggs, and leather production, supports millions of livelihoods globally, particularly in developing regions. Pet ownership, including ornamental fishkeeping, fosters companionship, appreciation and understanding of biodiversity and often drives conservation efforts.

Certification and Standards

To promote and ensure sustainability, certification programs like the Friend of the Sea Ornamental Fish standard have been established. This standard aims to protect wild species and safeguard natural environments by endorsing responsible harvesting and farming of aquarium species.

Conservation Through Collaboration

Rather than advocating for blanket bans, a collaborative approach is essential. Industry stakeholders, scientists, and conservationists must work together to develop evidence-based policies that support both animal welfare and sustainable practices. Certification programs, traceability systems, and environmental standards ensure responsible practices across industries. The aquarium fish industry, for instance, has established successful programs that support local fishers through sustainable harvesting while protecting native ecosystems. These initiatives create economic incentives for habitat preservation and provide funding for community-led conservation efforts. The industry remains committed to continuous improvement by collaborating with conservationists, scientists, and local communities to develop and implement best practices. While challenges persist, the collective efforts of responsible industry participants aim to balance the enjoyment of ornamental fishkeeping with the imperative to protect and preserve aquatic ecosystems.

Conclusion

It is imperative that the public, policymakers, and the media critically evaluate the claims made by groups that prioritise ideology over science. The sustainable use of animals in agriculture, aquaculture, and the pet trade is not inherently harmful. On the contrary, these industries play a critical role in conservation, food security, and cultural heritage.

The industry remains committed to transparency, ethical practices, and continuous improvement. We welcome open dialogue with all stakeholders to ensure that human-animal interactions continue to be conducted responsibly and sustainably for the benefit of people, animals, and ecosystems alike.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fmartin-sheen-takes-on-the-mass-slaughter-of-home-aquariums-exclusive-11702498%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3Ahn7QwRsqnJwIzL3DooYMPCYDzCs69R-iAnwEICNhuUpt0xuXNqBoyvY_aem_veDgqxFDPXHqxc2sKUrFQQ&h=AT28L76ejqIjDWaCDg7WYN7_fpBRr36Nf3Who1X1IteHcTF7t7OLXnkug65MA_Yfn07c6BnnnSCpj_Jf9sX8svCrlC1utUcViiNFhiwFzRMxUMcfl1O4AWoBVFxoxlRoJ4rjY8Gcv3aYEkuW&__tn__=%2CmH-R&c%5B0%5D=AT3zEjzAf4z5SzcrwtaNaOXl1w8f0Mffy30xISPaVUx2GTlZ0h42LdB2U90llao6snT7aWC1vcrzfG8mrc7r13BKlGBSfh2iKBeuM8YG7BJykqh-SeJ7KyeVje1yamdwZPAvZ9JbBNII2PugihQkBGhlXMcmyO_Fq_FpgWzncfsHl-PuS4dnvnEdiyiUqN_qCwKUc_ME8JFJPeBYSSO4OpP-bz0

Recently, three Malaysian men were sentenced to jail in Singapore for illegally importing corals into the country. Illegal importation of corals and aquarium fish is more than just a regulatory breach—it constitutes wildlife trafficking. This unethical trade undermines international treaties and national laws, jeopardizes ecosystems, threatens vulnerable species, and damages the reputation of our industry.

Legitimate operators within the aquarium trade invest significant effort to ensure that their practices are sustainable and lawful. However, illegal activities like these undermine the work of responsible operators who prioritize ethical and sustainable sourcing. Such actions not only endanger delicate ecosystems but also cast a shadow over the entire aquarium industry.

Industry has a responsibility to protect biodiversity and maintain the credibility of legitimate businesses, and our collective focus must remain on ethical, sustainable practices. Fringe operators that act illegally have no place in our industry.

For more information click the link below:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/five-months-jail-for-three-men-who-imported-corals-without-permits-from-malaysia

The CITES Secretariat has announced (No. 2024/041) the Technical workshop on Marine Ornamental Fishes will be held in Brisbane Australia from May 7 to 10 2024.

While it is great news that the workshop is finally going ahead, it is disappointing that these dates clash with major industry dates such as Interzoo 2024 in Germany and Regional Aquatics Workshop (Raw) being held in the USA.

OFI will be attending the workshop in Brisbane and looks forward to working with other trade organisations including Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA) and the European Pet Organisation (EPO) and other IPAC members to represent the interests of the industry and ensure the workshop arrives at science based decisions. The terms of reference are quite broad including the nature of the international trade in aquarium fish, identifying species in trade, regulations and best practice management, sustainability and livelihoods benefits. This last point is of major concern for us, as the collection of marine ornamental fish provides livelihoods for people in some of the poorest nations

We will update you as more news and details of the workshop are released.

Recently the USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a new regulation that would effectively ban imports of the Banggai Cardinalfish or BCF (Pterapogon kauderni) in the USA. The proposed regulation can be viewed here:

https://www.regulations.gov/document/NOAA-NMFS-2023-0099-0004

OFI is opposed to the proposed regulation as it is unlikely to have any impact on the conservation of BCF in the wild, and would negatively impact efforts by industry to develop aquacultured BCF for the international market. It would appear that NOAA has largely ignored a mountain of information demonstrating that the current trade in this species, and the current management plan for BCF, are producing positive conservation outcomes and meets several of the UN Development Goals. It also ignores the fact that the vast majority of BCF imported into the USA are in fact aquacultured and not sourced from the wild, and so do not put any pressure on the wild population.

The CITES Animals Committee has debated the listing of the BCF on several occasions. The CITES Animals Committee and the CITES Secretariat have been deeply engaged with the Indonesian government on the development and implementation of their BCF management plan; a plan which appears to be having the desired outcomes. CITES has agreed with this ultimately concluding that the management plan was robust and that the species did not require a CITES listing or further controls.

We would humbly suggest that if CITES does not deem a ban on trade to be needed for BCF, then an honest assessment of the scientific evidence available should lead NOA to the same conclusion and we would request that the proposed regulation be replaced in favor of one that protects the species by encouraging trade in sustainably raised and collected specimens.

The deadline for public comment on the proposed regulation is 5pm US Eastern Standard Time 16 October – OFI would strongly advise industry supporters to make a submission by via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at the following link:

https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/NOAA-NMFS-2023-0099-0004

Complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.

We have received a Notification to the Parties from CITES (No.2023/116) which schedules the CITES Marine Ornamental Fishes Workshop to be held In Indonesia 5-9 February 2024. At this stage there are no other details - you can refer to the following link for the notification:

E-Notif-2023-116.pdf

OFI will be attending the workshop and working with other trade organisations to represent the aquarium industry. We will send out more details on the workshop as they come to hand.

As many of you will be aware, there have been recent changes to the import regulations in Italy, to ban the import and trade of all 'wild animals' including aquarium organisms. 

The issue of compliance to this regulation was recently flagged by AIPA, the Italian Pet industry association, and investigations indicate that a number of operators were shipping wild caught fish to Italy that were not properly identified as such, in breach of the Italian regulations. This may in part be due to the process for the import of pet and aquarium being somewhat unclear in Italy which has led to confusion amongst industry operators as to how they are to identify captive bred versus wild caught organisms – it should also be noted that public aquariums in Italy can still import wild caught species which further complicates the regulations. However, this does not rule out the possibility of operators knowingly falsifying documents to enable them to be shipped to Italy illegally.

While we are opposed to this regulation as there is no scientific basis to it, OFI does not condone any illegal activity. As an industry with international supply chains, we have the responsibility to ensure we trade only in those species that can be traded legally, and within the national and international legal requirements of the countries we are trading in. Last weekend the OFI President sent an email to all OFI members reminding them of this fact. We are pleased to say that many members contacted us after this to lend their support to our statement.

It should also be noted that many OFI and other industry members are dedicating significant resources to improving the sustainability of our industry through training of collectors, supply chain improvements, coral reef restoration and management, captive breeding programs, etc. These types of activities are to be applauded and no doubt put these operators at the forefront of the future of our industry. 

OFI believes it is vital to the future of our industry that we behave in a responsible manner and operate our businesses within the law, whether we agree with the specific laws or not. Illegal activities jeopardises the effects of our industry’s combined efforts to build a sustainable future and put at risk the whole institution of pet and ornamental fish keeping.

We have been looking at options for the 2023 OFI Annual General Meeting, and it is our pleasure to announce that we will be holding the OFI 2023 AGM during Nusatic 2023, on 14 to 16 July 2023 at the ICE Exhibition Centre Jakarta, Indonesia

Nusatic 2023 provides a great venue for our AGM as it is becoming one of the world's largest aquatic show with a growing trade exhibition showcasing local and international brands, as well as many large scale fish competitions, aquascaping demonstrations and competitions, as well as public seminars, and farm tours. 

The AGM will be held on Friday 14th July 2023 from 16:30 (09:30 GMT) to 18:30 (11:30 GMT) with a social gathering to be held at the conclusion of the AGM. The AGM will be held live and live-streamed for members that are unable to attend. The agenda and other necessary documents will be provided closer to the date.

We would like to invite all OFI members to attend, this will be a great opportunity for importers to visit one of the largest production and export country in the world and to meet with suppliers. It’s also a good base to visit with your suppliers from other countries as well! For our exporting members it is a great opportunity to meet new customers and we strongly encourage exporters from other countries to attend for this reason. The other key reason to attend is it is the first major aquatic tradeshow to be held in Asia since COVID-19 and a great opportunity to meet up with old friends and industry colleagues and make plenty of new contacts.
Please note that the meeting is ‘closed’, i.e. it is reserved exclusively for OFI-members. Only the Executive Board and its chairman, our President, can give permission for non-OFI members to participate in the AGM. Please also note that only members that are up to date with their membership fee have the right to vote.

For more information on the ICE Exhibition centre click here

https://ice-indonesia.com/en/visitice/getting_here

The easiest accommodation for Nusatic is the official show hotel located adjacent to ICE for easy access.

https://www.mysantika.com/indonesia/tangerang/hotel-santika-premiere-ice-bsd-city

For reservation and special rate contact Nusatic administrators on

admnusatic@gmail.com

The EU Member States have accepted the EU authorities’ proposal – inspired from the one made jointly by OFI and EPO - to distinguish the Labridae family species by solely listing the five North Atlantic Labridae species (i.e., Centrolabrus exoletus, Centrolabrus rupestris, Labrus mixtus, Labrus bergylta and Symphodus melops) that are carriers of Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) and by removing the listing of the other Labridae species.

The decision has just been released in the EU Official Journal with the updated list of aquatic diseases and group of species; enabling the imports of tropical species of Wrasse to be resumed from July 5th, 2022.

Thanks to the efforts made jointly by OFI and EPO, the Labridae family species has been taken out of this updated list which includes the latest findings on OIE activities for aquatic species.

BACKGROUND

When the ban for wrasse imports was implemented in early February 2022, OFI made several submissions to the EU authorities on behalf of our industry to have this overturned. This included our proposal to place restrictions on only known carriers of VHS within the Labridae family and to allow the trade of tropical species not associated with VHS. OFI has supported its submission through scientific evidence that VHS is a viral disease affecting Salmonid species, which represents a major concern to the aquaculture industry in Europe where five of the abovementioned North Atlantic wrasse species are used as parasite control agents in salmon farms

25 May 2022 – The Annual General Meeting for Ornamental Fish International (OFI) was held at Interzoo on 24^th May, attended by a large contingent of members at the event, as well as members unable to attend the event in person attending online from members around the world

This year there were 5 Executiuve Board member positions up for re-election, including: Shane Willis (President of OFI) – National Aquaculture Training Institute Pty Ltd, (Australia), Svein A. Fosså (Vice president) – Akvariekonsulenten (Norway), Dr Tim Miller-Morgan – Oregon University (USA), Lim Meng Huat – Apollo Aquarium (Singapore), Ekembra Koroye – Avis Aquarium Supply (Nigeria). All were re-elected unopposed.

There were 2 Board of Advisors position up for reelection with Ran Epsteen – Colors (Israel) re-elected and a new candidate Ike Peng – Aquababe (China) elected unopposed.

As well as a the normal business the AGM featured 3 presentations discussing the challenges our industry faces globally and within the EU, as well as un update of what impact COVID-19 has had on the aquarium industry in terms of international.

Re-elected President of OFI, Mr Shane Willis commented “Its great to have the support of our members in our Executive and Board of Advisors. The past 3 years have been challenging for our industry and the world. Rising freight costs, and lack of flights have made it difficult for many of our members, and now due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine we see further pressure on freight and fuel costs which causes uncertainty and more pressure to our markets. However, we have seen significant increases in the demand for aquarium fish and related products over the past 3 years which is very positive for us.”

OFI is proud to be a partner of the 3rd International Ornamental Fish Conference to be held 25 – 26 February 2021, and for the first time will be held online to enable greater access for the world industry!

The theme for the virtual conference is SUSTAINABILITY AND THE FUTURE OF THE ORNAMENTAL FISH INDUSTRY, participants will have the opportunity to interact in several sessions on trade and markets, market access and barriers, farming and fish health, as well as marine ornamental fish breeding and rearing. The major pillar underpinning these discussions will be sustainability, in recognition of its importance for the future of the industry. The conference is ideal for Ornamental fish exporters, importers, breeders, farmers, traders, industry leaders, policy makers, government officials, researchers, academics and service providers.

Registrations received after 22nd January 2021 will be charged US$55 per delegate for INFOFISH non-member countries and US$25 for delegates from INFOFISH member countries and OFI members. Registration includes e-conference booklet, online INFOFISH International Magazine, sponsor brochure etc. There will be no refunds for cancellations; however a substitute delegate may attend at no extra charge.

 

To download an information brochure click here

 

To go to the INFOFISH website to register click here