SHARKS!

Epaulette Shark Pup

Sustainable Aquatics is happy to announce the availability of a species we have been working with for several years. Our Epaulette sharks had their first fertile eggs last year. After several months of incubation, the sharks began to hatch. This spring we are proud to offer healthy tank-bred Epaulette shark pups!

Epaulette Shark Eggs

The Epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) is a shark of the order Orectolobiformes, the carpet sharks, which includes such diverse members as nurse sharks, whale sharks, wobbegongs, and zebra sharks. The Epaulette shark is named for the prominent black spots behind the pectoral fins.

Epaulettes are one of the better choices as an aquarium shark due to their smaller size and peaceful disposition. Their diet consists mostly of worms, crabs, shrimp, and fish. Our sharks are aggressively eating a variety of frozen foods, including shrimp, mussel, fish, and gelatin diets. They are generally more active during the night-time hours and appreciate a shaded place to rest during the day.

Epaulette Shark Pup Top View

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Engineer Gobies, Pholidichthys leucotaenia

Group of Engineer Gobies in a Sustainable Islands Growout Tank

The Sustainable Islands Project is adding a new fish to the availability this week: the Engineer Goby or Convict Blenny, Pholidichthys leucotaenia. Neither a true blenny nor goby, this unusual fish is a member of its own family Pholidicthyidae. When young, these fish form large schools and hover over the reef. As they age and grow, they settle into burrows in the reef. They grow quickly to over 1’ due to their large appetites for most aquarium fare, and their patterns change from horizontal white stripes to yellow or golden vertical markings. The Engineer Goby is a robust aquarium fish that should be provided with regular feedings and substrate or hiding places as it grows. Juveniles do well in groups and are generally peaceful with other aquarium inhabitants.

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SA Clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris

Our most popular fish, the common orange Amphiprion ocellaris, is always available in several sizes.

Group of Hungry Sustainable Aquatics Ocellaris Clownfish

The beautiful bright orange SA ocellaris makes for a hardy and long-lived pet.

SA rarely sees misbarring in this variety, but we do sometimes see mutations or defects within the large number of these fish that are in our care. This week we are offering a limited number of “Stubby” ocellaris. These fish are missing some vertebrae and are shorter than the standard fish. Although they have a different shape and are generally smaller than the standard ocellaris, they are otherwise no different from our standard fish. A favorite with the SA hatchery personnel who are glad to send them to new homes but sad to see them go!

Amphiprion ocellaris clownfish "Stubby"

]]> http://www.sustainableaquatics.com/2011/05/sustainable-aquatics-news-6th-may-2011/feed/ 0 http://www.sustainableaquatics.com/2009/12/683/ http://www.sustainableaquatics.com/2009/12/683/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:19:33 +0000 Matthew http://www.sustainableaquatics.com/?p=683 Continue reading →]]> The Sustainable Islands Project!

Sustainable Aquatics (SA) is proud to introduce its new Sustainable Islands Project, (SI).

What is the SI Project?

The fish SA markets from its original facilities are tank bred and raised. The SI Project operates from separate facilities on the SA Campus which market marine ornamentals that are tank raised from wild collected post-larval swarms. SA fish are raised from tank-based breeder fish, while the SI project collects very young fish from the ocean — often recently settled post-larval fish — and raises them in the new Tennessee facilities. There are several great reasons motivating the SI project, from being more sustainable to being better for business:

• For the first time, the SI project makes available to retailers fish which are completely acclimated to aquarium life. This means that they exhibit good color, health, acceptance of a wide variety of prepared aquarium foods, are free of disease, and are “socially acclimated” to aquarium conditions and to humans.
• This enables a high survival rate through retail sale and into the hobbyist aquarium.
• Collecting these small fish is more ecologically-friendly than collecting large, mature animals since the larger animals are survivorsthat we need to leave in the ocean as breeder fish and the smaller, younger animals typically have a low survival rate to maturity in nature.
• Shipping smaller fish is also more ecologically-friendly and economical. The fish have higher survival, and since the amount of water shipped per fish is much reduced, shipping costs are also much reduced.

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• SA pays a fair price for these smaller fish in an effort to share with the island collectors a value similar to what they would collect for their time collecting larger animals;
• During the months these fish spend in the SI facilities, these fish learn important new social behaviors which give them much higher survival rates in the trade. Fish in the wild live in a world of scarcity, and many are fiercely territorial — behaviors that often result in losses as they compete for food and territory in aquariums. SA’s methods and facilities encourage fish to eat well, often doubling or tripling in size in a relatively short time while socializing to the aquarium environment.
• Until and if protocols are developed for breeding these open-water spawners, the SI project is the most sustainable and responsible method for bringing these important species to the hobbyist.

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Limited releases are now available. Initial availability includes The Pacific Blue Hippo Tang, several varieties of damsel, two species of wrasse, a clownfish, and a goby. We plan to continue releasing an increasing variety of fish from the SI Project in the near-future!

Although dry and bare above the waterline, the reefs surrounding Oman are full of life

Matthew and John made their first expedition to the Arabian Sea in September of 2007, traveling through Atlanta and Dubai to Muscat, the capital city of Oman. The flight from Atlanta to Dubai is one of the longest in the business — over 14 hours on a 777! Arriving in Muscat late in the evening, we were pleasantly surprised when we were escorted from the airport bus to a limousine to be greeted at the Sultan’s private reception facility thanks to the VIP with whom we were traveling in connection with John’s military armor work.

The Sultan took power in 1970 at a time when there were few passable roads except for the one connecting the primitive airport to the city. There were virtually no telecommunications or other modern services. During his rule the Sultan has shown a virtuous concern for his country, free of corruption and emphasizing equality for woman, an unusual practice in this part of the world. At the time of our visit, the Sultan’s Ambassador to the United States was a woman; we met several female ministers and observed women in all walks of life wearing clothes as they wished, driving vehicles, and enjoying suffrage similar to that in the United States. In fact two of the senior officials at the Ministry of Fisheries were women!

Government Building Housing the Omani Ministry of Fisheries

In our opinion and experience the Sultanate of Oman is one of the most enlightened and delightful societies in the world due in large part to the enlightened and loving care demonstrated by the Sultan.

Mohamed and Matthew overlooking a canyon near Muscat, Oman

We stayed at the Hyatt in Muscat and the first morning rose early and did a 90 minute snorkeling survey of the beaches outside of the hotel and Muscat. In June 2007 a severe Cyclone hit Oman at Muscat and moved rapidly up the canyons (wadi) dumping an estimated 20 inches of rain in a few hours and causing a massive and deadly wash to run down the canyons and into the sea, taking many homes and structures with it. We were able to see the damage this did to the reef that morning with our own eyes.

We were escorted diving on reefs and with meetings with the Ministry of Fisheries by our friend Mohamed Al Barwani, the former Minster of Fisheries and the former Sultan’s representative to most worldwide fisheries commissions.

A Pair of Arabian Butterflies (Chaetodon melapterus)

Matthew was invited to give a presentation on aquaculture at the University and the Ministry’s Field facility north of Muscat. He presented on our work with clown fish at SA and the talk generated interest, questions, and discussions.

Oman sits on the far Eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula to the east of Saudi Arabia, southeast of the UAE, and north of Yemen. The waters are full of life, enjoying a very rich upwelling from deep waters. In the very south there are temperate conditions with year-round rainfall. Clownfish and a wide variety of marine animals are in abundance. The Sultan has been very consistent in protecting the marine environment of Oman.  One of the rarer species of clownfish, Amphiprion omanensis, is thought to be found only in the reefs surrounding southern Oman.

Omani Variant of Amphiprion Clarkii

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