For the past few decades, hobbyists around the world have enjoyed keeping the Banggai cardinalfish in their home aquariums. Public aquariums keep large groups to display to their annual audience of visitors which number in the millions. Many hobbyists have raised their fry to be able to share them with others in their local area. Have you ever kept any in yours?
But where do they come from? Did you know there's an actual locale called the Banggai Islands? That's where these fish hail from, and why they were so named. In recent years, there have been huge debates regarding this fish and its future. Some fear their numbers have dwindled to the point of extinction, while others state they are still plentiful in the wild. The only way to know for sure is to go find out and get some real answers. How can anyone believe one version over another without real proof?
The Banggai Rescue Project endeavors to do just that. Over the next six months, a group of dedicated individuals are willing to investigate what's truly going on and get the information published this year with the latest facts. As with anything, this is going to take money to afford such efforts, and the hobby community as a whole needs to step up and put their money where their collective mouth is. We hobbyists defend our love for the ocean and our hobby, yet are we willing to verify that our collection practices aren't decimating this particular species? One of the buzz words we hear is sustainability, and that means using forethought and planning to maintain a good ratio of collection practices that won't affect the breeding population in nature. It also requires that groups make the conscious effort by raising them in captivity to lessen the demand from the Banggai Islands in Indonesia. We may even find ourselves one day adding some back into the ocean in a safe manner to replenish their numbers -- but that's getting ahead of the current goal.
Please take a few minutes to read up on The Banggai Rescue Project at the appropriately named site banggai-rescue.com to learn the specifics. By MACNA this September, we could potentially get a very clear update on their current status if the $25,000 funding has been acquired by the April 8th deadline. Share this article via social networks and spread the word, because every day counts. At the time of this writing, nearly $2,000 has already been pledged. We're off to a great start!
Additional information:
Banggai Cardinalfish wiki
Press release: Banggai Rescue Media Release.pdf
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