Wait... people actually eat Yellow Tangs?
I mean I can see a south American Oscar on a dinner plate, but tangs just seem like more bones than meat.
Probably not Yellow Tangs as they stay rather small, but large angels, wrasses and even tangs land quite regularly on the grill. If you visit fish markets in the countries where our fish come from you will find many beloved friends up for sale as dinner:
Caribbean, St. Lucia, Tropical Fish For Sale On The Market.
http://eddie-coral-adventures.blogspot.com/2008/02/bali-fish-market.html
You forgot Snorkel Bob...This has nothing to do with conservation. Hawaii is one of the most studied fisheries. None of these fish are in any danger of being threatened.
If you look into who pushed for this, you will find people who don't think fish should be kept in glass boxes. The Humane Society, For The Fishes, Center for Biological Diversity, etc.
People in the hobby can argue all they want that the Hawaiian (or any other) fisheries in question are protected, sustainable and well regulated and that the industry is a victim of environmentalist groups. It may be true, but frankly nobody is listening. If they are listening then they're thinking, "well, they would say that wouldn't they? They have a financial or recreational interest".
Is collection, transport and captivity the best outcome for the individual fish? No, it's not in all likelihood. To defend the industry on the grounds that it is sustainable, that aquarists are the ultimate environmentalist and stewards when tangs are sold for the cost of meal, is an unwinnable argument.
The only way to defend the hobby is also the only way to ensure its environmental sustainability and future. We need to "offset" the impact of what we do by demonstrating rigorous, pro-active self-regulation (evidence based traceability, standards, codes of conduct), invest and participate in grass roots environmental stewardship, invest in philanthropic support of scientific research and spend money on demonstrating the educational, environmental, ecological and biological research and "good-will" benefits of private and public aquariums. The key is not to be defensive or rail against greenies because you can't win when they hold the moral high ground and because for the most part they aren't nefarious fun wreckers, and share the same concern for the species we do.
I had parrotfish while I was vacationing in Fiji. The market was full of adult sized fish for our host to pick from. They were delicious!!
People in the hobby can argue all they want that the Hawaiian (or any other) fisheries in question are protected, sustainable and well regulated and that the industry is a victim of environmentalist groups. It may be true, but frankly nobody is listening. If they are listening then they're thinking, "well, they would say that wouldn't they? They have a financial or recreational interest".
Is collection, transport and captivity the best outcome for the individual fish? No, it's not in all likelihood. To defend the industry on the grounds that it is sustainable, that aquarists are the ultimate environmentalist and stewards when tangs are sold for the cost of meal, is an unwinnable argument.
The only way to defend the hobby is also the only way to ensure its environmental sustainability and future. We need to "offset" the impact of what we do by demonstrating rigorous, pro-active self-regulation (evidence based traceability, standards, codes of conduct), invest and participate in grass roots environmental stewardship, invest in philanthropic support of scientific research and spend money on demonstrating the educational, environmental, ecological and biological research and "good-will" benefits of private and public aquariums. The key is not to be defensive or rail against greenies because you can't win when they hold the moral high ground and because for the most part they aren't nefarious fun wreckers, and share the same concern for the species we do.