Ecoreef UK has announced it will be the first European supplier of sustainably collected Papua New Guinean livestock from EcoAquariums PNG Ltd. The first fish will be on sale before Christmas, with corals following shortly after in 2012.
EcoAquariums is setting the standards in sustainable, equitable and responsible fish collection. All reefs are surveyed by the PNG government prior to collection; a catch limit is set for each targeted species in each collection zone, and the Papuan collectors are paid fair prices for their catch, which they gently collect with hand and barrier nets.
All exported fish (apart from damsels and the like) will have a plastic uniquely-numbered tag attached to their shipping bag which will follow that fish through the supply chain. When the customer buys the fish from the local fish shop they will be given the tag to take home.
Entering the number from the tag into the EA website will enable the customer to view their fish’s date of capture, capture location and the fisherman who caught it. This is true provenance, and a first for the aquarium trade.
Steven Harvey and Dale Pritchard are delighted that EcoAquariums has chosen Ecoreef UK to supply the UK market and they see this as a real opportunity to develop their business in a way that supports a robust and sustainable marine aquarium industry. "I believe that by supplying sustainably collected fish along with those that are captive bred, Ecoreef UK will be supporting socio-economic and environmental sustainability, as well as establishing a secure future for our industry" says Dale. "This will set the benchmark for the UK marine ornamental trade."
Steven and Dale started working together six months ago on a breeding project which has already been successful with five types of clowns and red head gobies. They hope to start wholesale supply of tank bred fish in the next six months.
Retail outlets interested in receiving these fish and corals will be screened to ensure their practices and holding systems are adequate to maintain the high level of quality that these fish possess. There will only be few outlets selected to join this initial phase to ensure that quality and consistency of stock can be guaranteed.
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