Ofish - The Current Status of the Aquarium Industry in Mexico

Serafín Almenara Roldán, Marine Biologist
AZOO-Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Some years ago I wrote a couple of articles in the OFI Journal describing the Mexican aquatic industry in those days and giving a brief history of aquatics in Mexico. Reviewing those papers, I cannot find many significant changes in the prevailing situation nowadays.

The economy in Mexico has recovered, or, at least, the politicians tell us that this is the case. The macro-economy shows a spectacular increase since then, but people's money in their pockets doesn't show that at all! Anyway, we are still working in the sector and import volumes have remained reasonably steady: about 1,000 to 1,200 boxes of fish are imported every week. The export origins of those boxes are also similar, with those from South America increasing and those from Florida decreasing, due to import substitutions made by domestic breeders.

Today, we can see new species and expensive varieties, such as the newest plecos, killies and discus strains being imported once more, but I am sure that the reason for this is not a healthy economy, but the result of the hobbyist being bored at seeing the same fish variety every week.

Unfulfilled Expectations
Six years ago, we had a new law set up to regulate the importation of aquatic organisms. The most important issue of such law was a compulsory quarantine period for seven days prior to selling the product. We were facing bad-quality imports and fast-moving fish with low handling standards, ending up with very poor quality to the end consumer. Our hopes were quite optimistic then, that a compulsory quarantine period would lead to better-quality fish and more knowledge about their husbandry. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of a few importers to improve their holding facilities and train people for better fish handling, in Mexico, The Sea of Cortés. Its fish and invertebrates could sustain a high-value, low-impact industry...but current laws ensure that it doesn''t. Photo: John Dawes

The Sea of Cortés. Its fish and invertebrates could sustain a high-value, low-impact industry...but current laws ensure that it doesn''t. Photo: John Dawes

as in many other Third World countries, the law was not observed by the same non-ethical people whose businesses were based on just moving their fishes rapidly without caring for quality, while - at the same time - cheating exporters everywhere.

The results of these improper practices were disastrous to those importers who were investing their money, effort and time in order to offer healthy organisms according to the prevailing rules. They were at a total disadvantage against those people who were (and remain) cheating the law and doing whatever possible to keep giving away their products without any consideration. After a couple years, all importers were pushed to ignore the quarantine period as well. The authorities know that the law is not being properly observed (or not observed at all), but, due to the lack of resources, they cannot act. In consequence, this leaves the legal importers sector abandoned at the mercy of unscrupulous merchants.

Our expectation that we would improve the quality of aquatic ornamental organisms in every way, supposedly resulting in new hobbyist recruitment, proved false. Everyday our market is more constrained, the number of aquarium shops has decreased about 35% and we keep losing aquarium hobbyists due to bad advice, poor quality of fish, invertebrates and plants, lack of professional information for better husbandry knowledge and an unstable market situation. On top of that, the economic situation for the average person gets worse every day.

'Coincidental' Taxes
Another disadvantage between importers is related to the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), signed between Mexico, Canada and the United States of America. According to this agreement, aquatic ornamental organisms whose origin is either Canada or the USA are duty free, in comparison with 23% import duty from other countries; this also applies to the duty on freight and packing paid to transport them.

It is a 'coincidence' that the same cheating importers turn China goldfish into 'American-bred' goldfish and, thus end up paying less than US $15.00 in Customs fee per shipment, compared to the more than US $2,500.00 per shipment with legal papers, that honest importers pay. Once again, the lack of professional staff at the Customs Department cannot control this tax and duty evasion that is so harmful to the country. Since it is virtually impossible to determine the precise origin of tank-bred species of fish, the Customs authorities rely only on the exporter's paperwork.

The false idea that many wholesalers and retailers have is that, if you offer a cheaper product, the aquarium hobby will become available to more people. They overlook the fact that the best way forward is to prepare the fish better and offer the new hobbyist the best advice possible to make the new pets live and thrive well in the aquariums, instead of just surviving in inadequate conditions.

Another factor that could be killing our market, but this time on a global level, is that we don't have many potential customers anymore. Children all around the world are becoming computer and TV games slaves, losing their love and sensibility for nature. Most parents prefer their children to remain at home 'idiotised' by cybernetic games, rather than developing creativity, environmental education and researching curiosity that a hobby like the one we are offering can fulfil.

Destroyed Dreams
The sustained amount of imports and the survival of aquarium shops depend, mostly, on the enormous population we have here and on the potential interest in aquariums that 100 million people could have. Mexico City and its metropolitan area alone have almost 25 million people, representing a great source of new hobbyist recruitment. Even if, eventually, 90% of hobbyists end up with an empty tank in the trash can and a devastated pocket, many people enter our hobby with great expectations and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, due to the factors previously mentioned, they rarely receive the proper advice to develop their skills to maintain an aquarium and satisfy their dreams, ending up in despair and abandoning the aquarium hobby.

Despite its extraordinarily rich marine resources, Mexico imports all its marine ornamental fish. Photo: John Dawes

Our business depends on selling dreams: dreams of a 'natural' approach, of aesthetic additions, relaxing moments, inspiration, life enjoyment, occupational therapy, etc. If the professional aquarist won't give the new hobbyists the proper attention and advice they require and deserve, such dreams frequently turn into nightmares for the newcomers.

Aquarium owners and associates in shops have been relying too much on probability, but the number of unsatisfied customers is limited, despite the large number of potential new aquarium fans. One day, probability will turn against the aquarium hobby in general and, when that happens, we will be too ashamed to be able to face up to the situation and try to retrieve the lost souls of the aquarium dreamers.

Something must be done in Mexico… and fast… and planned for the long term. We require professional courses and workshops to raise the level of knowledge of the aquarist. In the past, some effort has been put into this, mainly by bringing top authorities from the aquarium field to give speeches, etc. However, most of these come sponsored by certain brand names, so everything has ended up as a commercial presentation, rather than a real commitment to professionalise the Mexican aquarist.

Export Perspectives for Mexico's Native Fishes

Mexico is, primarily, an importing country, not because of the lack of native aquatic wildlife resources that are abundant in fresh and saltwater, but because of the fact that there is a huge black hole in Mexico's government policies concerning the collection and export of any kind of wildlife. This issue has been very delicate for almost a decade.

Politicians have been trapped by ecologist groups without scientific background and cannot move a finger that could damage their reputation with regard to their political careers. The concept of sustainable yields has been widely and continuously used by Presidents, Secretaries and top authorities responsible for the sustainable use of Mexico's natural resources and communities development. Sustainable yield sounds nice and scientific as words for politicians, but, in reality, our government does nothing to establish proper management strategies for its natural resources, or to employ people and attract investment in productive fields like aquarium fish collection and export, which can be a low-impact and high-value activity, if properly handled.

Fish Collecting versus Other Activities
It is well known and widely accepted that the worst damages to natural populations of aquatic life resources are caused by weather fluctuations and other non-direct disasters, some of them closely related to human activities and originating far away from the place of damage. Industrial activities in developed countries, gas releases, over-fishing, oil spills, devastating forestry, dragging, etc., are causing habitat destruction and changing the dynamic interaction between physical and biological components worldwide.

Most commercial production of cultivated species and varieties of freshwater fish are destined for the home and US markets. Photo: John Dawes

The fish-net-collection of marine and freshwater fish for the ornamental trade results in a very low-impact activity compared to commercial food fishing that is allowed in Mexico. Our activity can directly benefit a large number of people.

Since the last time I reported in the OFI Journal, very few exports have been shipped out from Mexico, especially of marine fish from the Sea of Cortés. The Government issued just two permits for all the country… and just on paper, for almost a year! After that, commercial exploitation began by those permit holders, but only for one year.

At the time of writing this paper (April 2001), the new government has not renewed those permits. The number of species and the number of individual specimens that are allowed under those permits are unreal; they are so low that the expenses incurred in the collecting, logistics, handling and holding of the fish and invertebrates, will never permit investors to obtain profit from this activity. In a country like Mexico, which requires foreign investors and raise its exports, it is illogical to block an activity that, if properly managed, has low impact on natural resources.

Clarion Politics
Mexico has a vast assortment of natural aquatic resources, including many of the most sought-after ornamental fish, plants and invertebrate species in the world, from cichlids and the widest variety of viviparous freshwater fishes anywhere, to strikingly coloured marines. We have the Clarion Angel, Holacanthus clarionensis, probably the most prized marine fish, not just for it incomparable beauty, but also for its hardiness, good compatibility and ease of keeping.

In the Archipiélago de Revillagigedo, which includes the main islands named Isla San Benedicto, Isla Socorro and Isla Clarión, the numbers of Clarion Angels are so enormous that, if you are diving, or even snorkelling there and look at the reef profile, you can see only orange fishes swimming around. Mexican navy marines from the Navy Base in Socorro Island, fish Clarion Angels without any bait and cut them up into small fish meat slices to fish for bigger species like groupers or snappers. Clarion Angels are so tame and voracious that the marines have a nickname for them: they call them piranhas!

It is a real shame that an abundant resource like the Clarion Angel cannot be harvested just because of the mediocre attitude of politicians who are trapped by non-rational ecologist groups and prefer to sacrifice a profitable activity for many people, rather than take the risk of losing their political positions. The new government of Mexico includes many business people and the new president, Vicente Fox, had promised to support productive projects, especially those dedicated to export activities. We only hope that these words turn into facts in the near future. I wouldn't like to have to write in five years' time, another negative report about the status of the industry in my country.