‘From reef to retail’: experts warn global marine aquarium fish trade relies heavily on wild populations

‘A murky supply chain’: Australia ranks among the top 20 importers and exporters of the global aquarium fish trade, an industry worth US$2.15bn. Photograph: Dr Bing Lin/University of Sydney

The global trade in marine aquarium fish relies heavily on fish sourced directly from wild populations, with many consumers unaware of the practice due to murky supply chains.

New research has revealed the scale of the issue, finding most marine aquarium fish sold online in the US were wild-caught, mainly from the western Pacific and Indian oceans.