Guidelines for Green Certification of Marine Ornamental Species

Anikuttan, K K and Gopakumar, G and Ponniah, A G and Madhu, K and Ranjith, L and Sreenath, K R and Johnson, B and Ignatius, Boby and Ambarish, Gop P and Muktha, M and Ghosh, Shubhadeep and Gopalakrishnan, A (2024) Guidelines for Green Certification of Marine Ornamental Species. CMFRI Marine Fisheries Policy Series No:23/2024 . ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi. ISBN 978-93-82263-66-1

Text CMFRI Marine Fisheries Policy Series No 23_2024_Anikuttan K K.pdf Download (13MB)

Abstract

The trade of marine ornamental species is fast expanding globally, and consequently, demand for tropical marine ornamentals has been increasing in recent years. Globally, over 46 million organisms representing 2500 species are traded annually with a value exceeding 300 million US $. Wild-collected species contribute more than 90% of the trade, majority of which are collected from ecologically sensitive habitats like coral reefs, raising concern about the trade’s sustainability. It has been reported that indiscriminate and negligent collection practices have caused coral reef destruction in places where wild collection is prevalent. Even though India is blessed with rich resources of high-value marine ornamental species; our global trade share is insignificant because we have not yet ventured into organised trade. In this regard, the sustainable development of India’s marine ornamental trade provides a lucrative opportunity which needs to be nurtured preferentially. The trade from hatchery-produced fish is the best option for a long term sustainable industry. However, even globally, commercial level hatchery production technologies have been developed only for a limited number of species. Considering that the marine ornamental trade is a variety-oriented one, the hatchery production of a few species alone cannot meet demand for all the different varieties. The demand can be bolstered with sustainable exploitation of additional species from natural habitats like coral reefs without causing damage to these ecosystems. Hence, while developing an organised marine ornamental fish trade in the country, the option of a green-certified wild collection policy can also be considered, along with the promotion of hatchery production of species for which viable technologies are available. The green certified wild collection can be complementary to hatchery production for the development of sustainable trade. It is also mandatory that the hatchery protocols are also green certified. The logic behind the guidelines is that the approach of Green Certification would be highly beneficial for the sector and would cover all the stakeholders in the value chain, from collectors to consumers. Awareness creation among the consumers about Green Certification shall be taken up regularly by government agencies, thereby creating a demand for green-certified fishes commanding premium prices. This will invariably give an impetus to the other stakeholders in the value chain ( viz. Collectors, Holding centre, Captive breeding units, exporters or marketers ) to adopt Green Certification and thereby, in the long run, all the entities in the chain of custody will be green certified. The green certification guidelines outlined in this publication aim to develop a certified sustainable trade of marine ornamentals in India. An integrated approach led by the concerned State / Union territory departments with the relevant national agencies can initiate green certification in a step-by-step manner so that a lucrative and sustainable marine ornamental business sector will emerge in the country in the near future.

Actions (login required)

View Item