Marine ornamental Fishes in the Red Sea: statusand trade

Abstract EN

The Ornamental fish trade is rapidly expanding and there is a growing recreational demand for aquarium fishes in international markets.

This paper aims to initially assess the status of the marine ornamental fishes and their trade in the Yemeni Red Sea.

For this purpose, a field survey was conducted in May-June (2006) in 42 sites in this coast, and information regarding the trade was collected.

These sites were located in 40 islands where coral reefs are the most dominant habitats.

There were statistically differences in the number of ornamental fishes between and within the sites.

Many species of such fishes were targeted for trade in unsustainable manners.

This could affect the marine ecosystem in Yemen if such trade continues without unsustainable management.