Catching Dory: Selling Aquarium Fish Supports Coastal Livelihoods in Indonesia

The global marine aquarium trade has created new local markets across the planet, including in Indonesia, now the second largest exporting country of marine aquarium fish in the world. Participating in the global aquarium trade has been touted as a potentially sustainable addition to fisher livelihoods, but scant data exist showing the numbers of fish coming off the reef and how those fish contribute to income. To determine how small-scale fishers and traders incorporate aquarium species in their livelihoods, we examine source-level aquarium fish collecting and trading data in the Banggai Archipelago, a region in Central Sulawesi that has become a significant source for popular aquarium fishes. From one year of buying and selling data at the fisher, intermediary buyer, and regional trader levels we show that catching and selling fish for the aquarium trade represents an average of nearly 20% of annual income and provides added diversity and flexibility to fisher and trader livelihoods in the region, especially during seasons of rough weather.