Cyanide Fishing in the Philippines

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Cyanide Fishing in the Philippines

• Rachel Dodgens
• Introduction to Coastal Management

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The Location
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Gavin Hughes
Gavin Hughes
Gavin Hughes
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The Filipinos

• Over 600,000 employed by fisheries
• 4,000 marine aquarium or live food-fish fishermen

Gavin Hughes
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The problem

• Marine aquarium
• 10-30 million specimens annually
• 200-750 million
• Live food-fish trade
• 20-25,000 metric tons annually
• 1 billion

Gavin Hughes
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The Chemical

• Cyanide kills corals
• 5,204 mg/L for 10 minutes kills corals in 7 days
• 520 mg/L kills zooxanthelle and impairs
  photosynthesis
• 5 mg/L for several minutes is lethal

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The Chemical

• Impairs enzymes
• Damages organs
• 1991-1995, 29 million kg illegally imported
• 150,000 kg/yr is spread in Philippines
• Over a million kg used

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The Technique

• Divers use old makeshift equipment
• 1 to 5, 20g tablets in a 1 liter squirt bottle
• Concentration 1500-2000 mg/L from bottle

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Management

• Began in mid-1980s
• NGOs government
• Informing hobbyist
• Training fishermen

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Management

• Fine-mesh nets
• Training in cyanide-free fishing
• Net-skills
• Social programs
• Testing for cyanide

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• NOTE Some species in very limited supply and
  sizes vary. Please specify (s/m/l)
• Certified Cyanide-Free Fish
• from the EcoVitality GoodFish(TM) Program
• Why this is important
• Fish are held a minimum of 2 weeks, and generally
  eating flake before we ship.
• Availability subject to change daily

• NOTE Some species in very limited supply and
  sizes vary. Please specify (s/m/l)
• Certified Cyanide-Free Fish
• from the EcoVitality GoodFish(TM) Program
• Why this is important
• Fish are held a minimum of 2 weeks, and generally
  eating flake before we ship.
• Availability subject to change daily

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Gavin Hughes