The goldfish of China, the tropical fish farms near Bradenton, and the reef-fish trade.
Goldfish come from a wild carp of China. Buddhist monks kept gold-colored carp in temple ponds, and by the Song dynasty, about a thousand years ago, families bred them in bowls and basins. Over centuries breeders made fancy forms with double tails and bulging eyes. Japan bred koi from a related carp in the 1800s.
What changes when a fish moves from a pond to a bowl in a house?
Florida is the largest producer of farmed aquarium fish in the United States, much of it in Hillsborough and Polk counties, a short drive from Bradenton. The University of Florida runs a Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin. Most freshwater aquarium fish are now farm-raised, while most saltwater aquarium fish are still caught on wild reefs (estimate).
Why might a farm-raised fish be better for a coral reef than a wild-caught one?
Wild marine aquarium fish come mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines. Some collectors have used cyanide to stun fish, which damages reefs and kills many fish before sale, though the practice is illegal in both countries. Over a billion ornamental fish are traded worldwide each year (estimate).
How could a buyer in Florida tell how a reef fish was caught?