|
WHAT IS CYANIDE?
Over the last few decades, the
rapid adoption of cyanide for collecting fishes reads like a typical story
of economic expediency without moral awareness. It is one of immediate
short-term monetary gain at a tremendous cost to reef productivity, fishing
efficiency, and indigenous human malnutrition.
 Sodium
cyanide, knows as "cuscous", was originally used as a fungicide in the palm
tree industry, and to a lesser degree in other applications. Its botanical
use has been supplanted, but there are some legitimate industrial uses of
cyanides in electroplating, electronics, and other operations.
The fish-stunning properties
of sodium cyanide were first publicized in 1958 by a fisheries researcher in
Illinois, whose work reported that the chemical could be used to produce
temporary and reversible paralysis of fishes. He foresaw a useful
application in the harvesting of fishes from aquaculture ponds. This
research was noted and promptly put to use in the Philippines, perhaps first
in milkfish ponds. From there, its use rapidly expanded to the catching of
live fishes for the aquarium trade from coral reefs and finally to the
taking alive of large food-fish species such as groupers and wrasses.
Cyanide kills a large
percentage of the animals it reaches either immediately or shortly after
collection. Those that do survive may be shipped for sale at premium prices
either to fish market, fish restaurants, or aquarium shops. The fishes may
appear normal to the untrained eye, and persons eating them generally suffer
no ill effects. While well-heeled diners may never witness the longer-term
effects of cyanide collection, aquarists have become all too familiar with
the true nature of this poison. The IMA's Rubec estimates that cyanide kills
an average of 50% of fishes exposed at the point of collection and about 30%
of the survivors in each link of the commercial chain. By this calculation,
more than 90% of cyanided fishes die before they reach the home aquarium and
an unknown percentage thereafter.
THE EFFECTS OF CYANIDE USE
How important is cyanide in
causing the death of pet fish? Some observers believe it to be a leading
cause of mortality, while others in the trade point to a variety of
stressors that, alone or in combination, can be responsible for losses. A
surprisingly large percentage of captured marine organisms die enrouted
though collection, transport, and distribution from wholesaler to retailers
to hobbyists.
 Cyanide,
weeks of starvation, parasite loads, metabolite "burn" from holding and
transporting fishes in polluted water, shipping stress, and lack of oxygen
have all been implicated. The relative importance of these factors in
causing mortality among aquarium fishes, during shipment and after being
sold to the hobbyist, is still largely unknown, but this does not dilute the
negative impacts of cyanide.
Many fish die shortly after
exposure to too much cyanide. Those "lucky" fish that survive long enough to
be picked up and moved to clean seawater must wait to be transported though
middlemen and then to wholesale shippers in major towns that are setup for
international air export. These fishes are not fed for days or weeks in the
process of making their way to their country of destination. Fish being
exported are intentionally starved for three reasons:
1) It cost money to feed them;
2) The animals will defecate more if they are fed, polluting their water;
3) May fishes cannot digest their food.
In scientific studies, fishes
were observed to die shortly after eating their first meal, while others
refused to eat and slowly starved to death. Several prominent aquarists
believe that these observation are symptoms of the Cyanide Syndrome.
WHAT YOU ARE GETING FROM OUR
STORE
The special internet offer you
are looking at are the fishes that net catched from Hawaii islands, Marshall
island, Guan and other pacific areas.
 Being
trained for years, our own fishmen in those areas are either hand capture
like the picture showed on the left or by using a surround net. Those fishes
are being carefully handled by the catchers and ship to our Hawaii
distribution center. With no delay, the fish will fly to our Houston store
in the next day or two.
In order to guarantee the
healthy of the fish, each fish will stay in our quarantine tank for 12 to 24
hours. Once they are showing absolute normal activities, we will put the
fish into our store tank and start feeding the fishes. So normally the fish
only starve for 2-3 days before they start eating again. This will help the
fish maintain good appetite and thus a good healthy.
Once the fish is ordered, we
put the fish back to the quarantine tank and stop feeding them for 12-24
hours (specific number of hours are shown in the item specifications as
quarantine time before shipping). This will make sure fish will not pollute
the water during the shipment.
Being carefully handle from
the catcher to our shipping department, the fish you are going to get should
start eating at your home in hours and remain good appetite.
CONCLUSION
Fish not eating once you put
them into your own tank? Fish died even you put your heart in? Don't be
hesitated, ask your seller where the fish came from and how the fish being
catched. If you are spending hundreds of dollars on this hobby, don't save
few bucks by getting the cheaper fishes from the person who CANNOT tell you
the history of the fish. Go to the person that stands for their goods like
Fish Ranch Texas. We have been in this business for 35 years and we stands
for our products. We want you become one of our happy customer just like
hundreds of others. |
) 
