3. Regulatory Alternatives Affecting Tropical Marine Specimen Collecting 



a. Status quo: Unrestricted tropical specimen collecting( marine life 

 fishing) within all boundary alternatives . 



The GMFMC and the SAFMC are preliminarily determining the feasibility 

 and desireability of preparing profile or description of the tropical reef 

 fish fishery. The SAFMC and GMFMC are proposing to prohibit tropical specimen 

 collecting within the 1 nautical mile square HAPC. At the present time, 

 however, no current or other proposed Federal regulations limit tropical 

 fish and invertebrate collection. The extent to which such activity can be 

 controlled through HAPC regulations in the Coral and Coral Reef Resources 

 FMP has not been determined judicially or administratively. Current indications 

 are that the Councils' definition of Coral Reef Resources does not include 

 invertebrates or reef fish but rather the dead reef structure only. Furthermore, 

 the final outcome of the Coral FMP is unpredictable until the Plan has 

 completed the NEPA process and becomes final. 



Both commercial marine life fisheries and amateur tropical 

 fish and invertebrate collecting occurs throughout the Looe Key area. 

 Tropical fish collectors in general take a large variety of fish but 

 concentrate primarily on a small number of the popular species. Collectors 

 harvest mostly juvenile fish from shallow depths. Collected invertebrates 

 include brightly colored and otherwise aesthetically appealing molluscs, 

 small crustaceans, including several shrimp which participate in the 

 "cleaning symbiosis" relationship, and a wide variety of other species 

 for the home aquarist, biological specimen industry, curio trade and 

 municipal aquaria. 



The most commonly collected families of fishes (Hess and Stevely, 

 1979) are angelfishes and butterflyfishes, damselfishes, cardinalfishes, 

 jawfishes, drums and croakers, blennies, wrasses and gobies. Neon gobies, 

 small shrimp, juvenile bluehead wrasses, juvenile French angelfish, and 

 juvenile porkfish to a lesser degree, are particularly known to set up 

 and participate in cleaning stations for finfish which then have an 

 overall beneficial effect on the ecological balance of the reef. Removal 

 of these species in large numbers could adversely affect the reef system. 



Most collectors work from small outboard motor boats. Collectors 

 use small hand nets while diving underwater (snorkeling, SCUBA). Some 

 collectors also use a mild anesthetic, qui nal dine, to slow temporarily 

 the fishes while collecting. A few collectors who do not approve the 

 use of chemicals, use only skill to chase fishes into nets. 



Quinaldine is a derivative of coal tar used in the manufacture 

 of dyes and explosives and was never intended as a fish collecting 

 anesthetic. Quinaldine is only slightly soluble in water and must be 

 dilutpH hpfore use. Diluting agents include ethyl alcohol and seawater, 



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