TMC is to offer tank bred Banggai cardinals to the marine trade.
The wild Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is classified as 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but these captive bred fish are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The tank bred fish also have a number of other advantages over wild caught specimens, including increased stress tolerance, resilience to pathogens — and they will readily accept a wide range of foods. They are available all year round, through an exclusive supplier to TMC.
Banggais are classified as 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List due to their small population size (estimated to be around 2.2m) and limited geographical range. They are endemic to the Banggai Archipelago, an island group in Indonesia where there are isolated populations, and a further population has recently also become established in the Lembeh Strait (North Sulawesi), around 400 km north of its natural distribution, following introduction by aquarium fish traders.
Unfortunately for the wild fish, it has become a popular choice for the marine aquarium, and this had led to a significant decline in its numbers, including extinction of a population off Limbo Island, and the global population is now thought to have been reduced to about 10% of its historical abundance and range.
In 2007 it was proposed to protect to place the Banggai under the CITES Appendix II, but Indonesia did not support the move and the proposal ended up being withdrawn.
These fish can be bred in captivity, with the male mouthbrooding the eggs and fry, and the resultant tank bred fish present a much more environmentally friendly alternative to wild caught Banggais — but despite this they have never been very widely available.
Hopefully all that's about to change and you should be seeing these in a shop near you soon.
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