Seahorse Research - About the Philippines

Non-food FisheriesOur examination of the nature and scope of non-food fisheries has revealed largegaps in the available information on the extent of industries involved. For example,little is known about the use of fish and invertebrates for research and education, yetfishes represent a quarter of all animals used and only mice have a larger share. Alsopoorly documented are the fish leather and curiosity trades.Research Assistants Melissa Grey and Bob Hunt collaborated with Amanda Vincent onthe first comprehensive reviews of the non-food fisheries. They catalogued morethan 80 species used in North America for research and education alone.Invertebrates, though difficult to assess because reporting is voluntary, mayrepresent more than a third of all animals used. Nearly half the fish used in researchand education are wild-caught, but as few researchers include provenance in theirstudies, it is difficult to predict effects on wild populations.The North American curio trade, meanwhile, represents an added pressure onstressed ecosystems. Dried fish, shells, crafts and jewelry sold as curios are typicallyfrom tropical reef habitats. The Philippines is a major exporter of these goods andthe United States a major importer. Minimum estimates indicate that imports ofwhole dried fishes are worth at least US$198,000 annually and involve 33 species.Invertebrate statistics are difficult to estimate but we suspect the scale of the trade ismuch larger and includes at least 24 species of echinoderms and arthropods.Hagfishes, sharks and stingrays, all characterized by a low reproductive potential,are particularly prized in the North American fish leather market. All leather fisheriesare open-access, and absorb the excess capacity from other regulated fisheries.Unfortunately, basic information on natural density and growth rates is severelylimited.There may be less concern over the collection of marine organisms for thedevelopment of drugs. Advances in technology over the last 30 years have led toreductions in the demand for initial bioprospecting samples. Through advances innatural products chemistry, researchers are finding synthetic alternatives to supplythe compounds necessary for drug development. Still, confidentiality agreementsmake it difficult to verify the sustainability of the industry.The manufacture of industrial, agricultural, biomedical and miscellaneous naturalproducts also consumes marine species. While living specimens are more commonlyused in environmental services, industry prefers the advantages of syntheticproduction or culture to reliance on the harvest of wild populations. There are stillsignificant capture fisheries for biotechnology, however, including one for thehorseshoe crab, whose blood clotting agent can detect bacterial toxins.The non-food fisheries research program was supported by the Pew Fellows Programin Marine Conservation.page 14