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TIMESTAMPS

The Business Report: 29 November  2003  - Acquiring Nemo

[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/busrpt/stories/s1000651.htm ]


Elizabeth Jackson : Finding Nemo , a movie about a fish on the Great Barrier Reef, has captured the attention of the world, and has resulted in many people wanting their very own clown fish. There's been a surge in business for breeders of ornamental fish and the aquarium companies which harvest them from the wild. But it has also led to concerns in some countries about reef stocks being plundered, and the flow-on effects for the dive and tourism industries. From Townsville, Mark Hides has this report.

[movie soundtrack?]

Mark Hides : Finding Nemo proved a blockbuster on the big screen for Disney, netting hundreds of millions of dollars through cinema takings and merchandise. It sparked massive interest in Nemo's species, the clown fish, and many have been searching for one of their own, creating business for breeders, aquariums and pet shops.

[movie soundtrack?]
Cairns Marine, a company based in Far North Queensland, harvests coral and marine species for major public aquariums and private collectors. Senior Aquarist Julian Baggio says clown fish are prominent on the Great Barrier Reef and have always been popular among collectors. But there's been a surge in interest since the movie.

Julian Baggio : Definitely the movie's led to a big increase in the demand for the clown fish ? well in excess of what we can actually supply the market with.

Mark Hides : So while the idea of Nemo paid dividends for Disney, it's doing likewise for you?

Julian Baggio : Oh, for sure. I think it's raised awareness on the marine aquarium industry. From our point of view, as collectors, it's definitely increased demand for the fish.

Mark Hides : Mr Baggio says operators in some countries use cyanide to collect fish, but the industry in Australia is heavily regulated. A spokesman for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says a hump-headed parrot fish eats more coral in a year than coral harvesters do, and says the collection of marine species is limited. The current review of marine zones within the Park, which is expected to expand 'no take zones' from five per cent to thirty per cent of the Park, will further restrict their trade. It's a stark contrast to Vanuatu, where the scuba diving industry is concerned the region's love of Nemo is stripping reefs of the ornamental clown fish. And industry spokesman recently told the ABC, 'Members of the aquarium trade are coming in with licences from the government to take the clown fish. They're taking so many, snorkelers on some reefs no longer see them.'

Mr Baggio says that won't happen in Australia, and his company has turned to breeders.

Julian Baggio : The demand has got to an extent that we actually had to source aquaculture companies that were farming clown fish. Luckily clown fish are one of the most easily aquacultured and farmed, and they are famed by quite a few people around Australia. So we've sourced a few different breeders and we do buy in large quantities of them, just to supply that demand.

Mark Hides : Michael Porritt's company, Reef Culture, is among those breeding the clown fish, and he says there's no doubt the movie has increased demand.

Michael Porritt : The ocellaris clown fish, which is what Nemo was, has always been quite popular with people with aquariums. Since the movie came out, however, it's really skyrocketed people's interest in marine aquariums as a whole, and specifically the clown fish.

Mark Hides : Mr. Porritt says more collectors and aquariums are approaching him, seeking quality fish.

Michael Porritt : Different species of clown fish come from different areas around Australia and overseas, so depending on where people are getting them from, there can be shortages in the wild, so people like aquariums thought the next step was to come to the breeders such as ourselves, who can supply a good quality fish at a reasonable price for them.

Mark Hides : Are people being quite particular about the type of clown fish they want, so they do want a Nemo?

Michael Porritt : They do, they do. The ocellaris is being quite popular and it's dwarfed the sales over the other types of clown fish that are available.

Mark Hides : There are 28 different species of clown fish, and Mr Porritt says he's having trouble keeping up with the needs of his customers.

Michael Porritt : At the moment we can't breed the animals fast enough to supply to the industry in Australia. We're trying to increase the diversity we have, and also to increase the numbers of breeding fish that we have, so we can help meet that demand and hopefully decrease the numbers of fish taken from the wild.

Mark Hides : Is there a concern about fish species being brought in from overseas to try and meet the demand? Obviously people are looking at ways to get into this market, are you seeing or hearing evidence of that happening?

Michael Porritt : There is a large import market in Australia. Depending on where these fish are being imported from, you can get areas and countries around the world that catch the fish very well: they're caught with nets and they don't use chemicals and that sort of thing. However there are a lot of places that still catch fish using chemicals and they're not really a high quality fish. What we find is that the majority of these animals that are imported don't usually last for very long. They usually last for a month or so before unfortunately dying.

Mark Hides : The question now is will the fondness for Nemo last longer than some of the imported fish. Michael Porritt thinks things could return to normal within months, but has no doubt the clown fish will remain one of the most popular ornamental species. Then again, the DVD and video are yet to go on sale, so the search for Nemo may escalate again in the New Year, when people are once again enchanted by the charms of the colourful clown fish.

[movie soundtrack?]

Presenter: Elizabeth Jackson

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