Banggai Cardinalfish - Proposed NOAA Ban - Interview w/ Bob Likins

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed 4(d) rule NOAA-NMFS-2023-0099 which would ban the import or export of the Banggai Cardinalfish into and out of the United States. Here, Marc Levenson and Alex Rose of CORAL Magazine talk with Bob Likins, Executive Vice President of Pet Advocacy Network, about the issues surrounding this proposed rule and what we can do try to convince NOAA to reject it. Useful links can be found below.
petadvocacy.org/
petadvocacy.or...
www.fisheries....
www.regulation...
www.reef2rainf...

[@Slide-Loc]

Their motives to stop the trade are not pure... that simple.
They aren't concerned with saving a fish, they are concerned with dealing a hard hitting blow by taking down an overwhelming success in breeding to the aquarium trade while giving themselves a poster child for a cute fish to generate donations/funding.
They simply don't like aquariums.

[@Alex_Correa]

Congratulations to you!!

[@randomtaranchula9570]

How many Bangaii's are taken from the wild for breeding purposes though?
Saying "it's a small number" is not specific. This is important data that should be available year after year to determine impact.

[@benvandinther5724]

One of the comments in the video talked about not seeing any reason for a ban like this. Its important to see the other side whether it is valid to you or not. I don't agree with the other side either but we need to try and understand it to be productive. The reason for a ban like this is to completely eliminate the demand. Ivory is the extreme example but a valid one. If it was still legal to possess ivory, more poachers would kill more elephants whether it was illegal to kill elephants or not. If you cannot posses it, the demand almost goes away. Again, I do not agree with applying this logic to Cardinal fishes but that is part of the basis for the proposed ban.

[@MrBigTexFyre]

You are comparing apples to oranges in your example. The ban on ivory is because the only way to get it is to kill wild elephants. There is no farm raised alternative. If the only way to get Benggai Cardinalfish was to get them wild then I could understand the ban. Otherwise, once you establish broodstock, you no longer need to capture them wild to breed so what harm is being done?

[@Slide-Loc]

Also my comments have been submitted to them.