UK aquatic companies are being urged to support an initiative aimed at protecting Amazon fish species.
The Amazon Research Centre for Ornamental Fishes (ARCOF) is a charity based in Peru, whose work is being promoted across Europe by UK-based OS Aquatics.
One of the major remits of ARCOF is to foster sustainable harvesting and conservation, through breeding, of native Amazon fish species for the aquarium trade.
The organisation’s work enables inhabitants of the Amazon region to maintain an environmentally sound, long-term income stream that is not detrimental to fish species that might otherwise come under threat from over-fishing.
“Aquatics businesses in the UK and Europe can make a significant contribution to the success of ARCOF’s research and training programmes through donations or sponsorship and by endeavouring to purchase only sustainably sourced livestock,” said Dr Barbara Gainswin, of OS Aquatics.
“Like many regions of the world where hobby species are collected from the wild, Amazon fish populations are suffering through unsustainable and ecologically damaging collection methods.
“In order to future-proof our industry ARCOF is developing aquaculture training programmes for local fishermen to create sustainable economic growth for the region and environmentally sound sources for our aquarium fish.”
OS Aquatics, which runs an aquatic study and breeding centre, hopes to raise awareness of ARCOF and its work at AQUA 2021 in October.
