RSPCA: ‘Please Don’t Find Your Own Nemo’

by ANC Staff and RSPCA

Britain’s RSPCA is urging fans of the recent Disney movie ‘Finding Nemo’, which tells the story of a young clown anemonefish taken from the wild, not to follow the US trend and buy a clown fish as a pet.

‘Finding Nemo’, released in London’s West End this weekend and on general release in the UK from next Friday, gives a strong animal welfare message by showing the wrongs of taking fish from the wild. The movie shows that thoughtless treatment by humans can be fatal for fish.

In ‘Finding Nemo’, a small anemonefish, Nemo, escapes to freedom down a drain.

When the movie was shown in the USA, there was a huge increase in demand for clown fish as a result. But the RSPCA is attempting to discourage people from buying tropical marine fish on a whim, as they are notoriously difficult to keep.

The welfare organization is also trying to make British children aware that they should not ‘free’ their pet fish by flushing it down the toilet, as it will die a slow and painful death caused by the toxic substances and hazardous conditions in the drainage system.

Additionally, many people are unaware that most fish kept in home aquaria cannot re-adapt to the wild and will not survive if ‘set free’ after living in a tank, no matter whether they are flushed down a toilet or released into a pond.

Laila Sadler, the RSPCA’s marine wildlife officer, said: "It’s a great film, but the take-home message is really going to backfire if it encourages people to go out and buy anemonefish.

"There are very serious welfare issues surrounding the use of tropical fish in aquaria and increased demand for a species that is not easy to keep in captivity is only going to lead to more suffering and death for these beautiful fish.

"Like any other pet these fish require specialist care and attention and can cost a lot of money. But unlike other domestic pets, tropical aquarium fish are often captured in the wild, damaging the environment and hurting the fish."

The Society is also concerned about the injuries and deaths suffered by these beautiful yet fragile fish during capture, poor handling and poor transport.

This concern is backed up by new research published last week. According to the United Nations Environment Programme report, published on October 3, as much as 30 per cent of wild-caught Sri Lankan tropical fish died before they even reached the UK market in the 1980s. Similar death rates of 10 to 20 per cent were found in the Puerto Rican export trade.

Accurate numbers were impossible to come by because traders were not inclined to supply them. Every year more than 20 million marine fish are taken from tropical reefs to supply aquaria around the world. The cost of this industry in terms of the loss of animal life is vast.

The RSPCA is advising anyone who keeps fish in a tropical marine aquarium system to urge suppliers to only provide fish that are certified as being from responsible breeders or from sustainable, ecologically-friendly harvesters.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.