Reefs at risk after Disney film

A booming trade in aquarium fish, sparked by Finding Nemo, the Disney film featuring clownfish, is endangering the wildlife of the Vanuatu archipelago in the South Pacific.

Over the past year about 200 000 fish and other marine creatures have been exported from the country, and local tour firms are warning that the reefs will be at risk if the tropical fish trade is not regulated.

"It's a very popular trade and on the back of Finding Nemo it's boomed," said Heidi Bartram, of Vanuatu's fisheries department. "It's developing faster than anyone can keep up with. There's a lack of understanding of reef systems and how fast they recover. Understanding them is hard enough without having the added pressure of people taking the fish."

Concern about the trade and its sustainability is so great the government has set up a committee to examine the issue.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=23850

people buy salwater fish for their kids? They require a great deal of care, and unlike a dog, they won't let you know when something is wrong.

this doesn't sound plausible.

I kept freshwater tanks for years. Then decided to go for saltwater.

After two years, I decided it was cheaper and easier to just flush $20 bills down the toilet at regular intervals.