Proceedings of the International Cyanide Detection Testing Workshop

the high-value fi sh species such as emperor angel-fi sh (Pomacanthus imperator), blue surgeon-fi sh
(Paracanthurus sp.), and blue ring angelfi sh (Pomacanthus annularis) (Fahrudin, 2003). The marine
aquarium industry worldwide is worth an estimated $200 to $330 million annually (USCRTF,
2000. Wabnitz et al., 2003. FAO, 1996-2005). When examined by weight, aquarium fi sh are
valued at $500 per kilogram or more, which is considerably higher than a similar weight of
food fi sh (Cato and Brown, 2003. Wabnitz et al., 2003).
Environmental concerns about cyanide fi shing
Although illegal in most countries, the use of cyanide to capture live reef fi sh remains pervasive,
propelled by the lucrative growing and largely unregulated international trade in live reef food
fi sh and the marine aquarium industry. The United States is the number-one importer of coral
reef fi sh for the aquarium trade, and the demand for these species may be one factor driving the
continued use of cyanide. Cyanide is toxic to fi sh because it interferes with oxygen metabolism
by blocking the key enzyme system, cytochrome oxidase (Metzler, 2001), and blocks enzymatic
pathways in the liver (Solomonson, 1981). Once inside the fi sh tissue, cyanide reacts with
thiosulfate to produce the comparatively nontoxic thiocyanate which is excreted in the urine.
Rapid detoxifi cation enables animals such as fi sh to ingest high, sub-lethal doses of cyanide
(Eisler, 1991), although some of the effects are irreversible and may lead to the death of the
fi sh (Way et al., 1988).
Several studies have also demonstrated negative impacts of cyanide on non-target coral reef
species including corals (Cervino et al., 2003. Jones et al., 1998). Exposure of corals to cyanide
causes rapid signs of stress and bleaching, and at high concentrations, progressive tissue
sloughing that can lead to colony mortality. Fishermen spray cyanide into crevices and coral
thickets where fi sh often hide, and then break apart the corals to access the stunned fi shes,
leading to substantial damage to the habitat. Large percentages of the target fi sh captured
with cyanide die during collection or in transit due to their weakened state, which requires
fi shermen to capture signifi cantly higher numbers of fi shes than would otherwise be needed.
In fact, some studies indicate that as many as 75% of fi sh collected with cyanide die within
hours of collection, and another 30% die prior to export. In addition, more than half may
die shortly after arrival in the United States from a combination of the poisons used in the
capture and stress associated with handling and transport. Cyanide fi shing is also risky for the
divers, who often go to considerable depths for extended periods without following proper
dive procedures.
Conservation approaches to address cyanide fi shing
Although cyanide fi shing is illegal in most countries, poor law enforcement capabilities and
high levels of corruption have allowed the use of cyanide to continue. In 1989, the Haribon
Foundation and Ocean Voice initiated a program to train fi shermen in the use of nets as an
alternative to cyanide. A second, more aggressive program was implemented in the Philippines
in the early 1990s by the International Marinelife Alliance (IMA), in partnership with the
Philippine government’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Through a combination
of the right policies and laws, improved enforcement, enhanced public awareness, training of
cyanide fi shers in cyanide-free fi sh capture techniques, development of livelihood alternatives,
community-based resource management programs, and cyanide testing of live fi sh exports
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