ArticleScience advances2023
Can the global marine aquarium trade (MAT) be a model for sustainable coral reef fisheries?
Article in Science advances, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Micro-fragmentation of four coral species towards the assembly of modular 3D structures for restoration.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Extent of threats to marine fish from the online aquarium trade in the United States.Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · 2026Article
- Laboratory Rearing of the Photosynthetic Sea SlugBiology · 2026Article
- An ecophysiological approach to improving health outcomes of ornamental shrimp during aquarium trade and transportation.Conservation physiology · 2026Article
- An Updated Review of the Marine Ornamental Fish Trade in the European Union.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Globally, 6 million coral reef fishers provide ~25% of emergent countries' catch, but species have low value. The marine aquarium trade (MAT) targets high-value biodiversity, but missing data amplify draconian governance and demand for international prohibition. To stimulate sustainability and reef conservation investment, we generate a fiscal baseline using the first global analysis of numbers, diversity, and biomass of MAT-traded organisms. Each year, ~55 million organisms worth US$2.15 billion at retail are traded comparable with major fisheries, e.g., tuna. A sustainable MAT also requires overexploitation assessments. We identify 25 species/genera with "Extremely High" risk ratios and place the Indonesian and Sulu-Celebes Seas in the highest exploitation category. Despite predicted hobbyist number increases, unabated reef degradation and low governance will transform the MAT into an aquaculture-dominated industry decoupled from communities (i.e., culture located in importing countries). A "MAT-positive" future requires evidence-based management/governance, consumer education, and sustainable practice incentivization but can address the biodiversity and social and economic inequality crises.
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Registered trials
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