Animal Planet

OPEN LETTER TO ANIMAL PLANET & CORAL READERS
"TANKED" - POSH FISH BOWLS?

As an aquarium lover who doesn't consider aquariums as mere decoration
objects, what I have seen about the Animal Planet "Tanked" show on the Internet has left me deeply concerned.

There are two approaches to the interest on aquariums. For some people
(notably, the customers depicted in your show), aquariums are a mere
object of decoration, nothing else. For others, me included, an
aquarium is a fascinating small piece of the natural world, more or
less accurate, but still full of living things. As such, I think it
serves several purposes, not just the pleasure of its owner. It's an
educational tool; for instance, for many people who can't afford a
trip to tropical zones it's the only opportunity to get in touch with
the amazing biodiversity one can find there.

Given such different approaches, another question can be brought about
the hobby. I mean, the ethics of it. It's a complex issue involving
the economies of developing zones, for which, according to the FAO,
the aquarium trade can be highly beneficial. Also, the purpose for
which marine organisms are collected and transported to an aquarium is
(in my opinion) an important aspect. We all agree that killing an
animal for food can't be seen as un-ethical. If the purpose is
learning? Well, there will be opinions on that. But what about
decoration? Keep reading.

According to at least one published study (sorry, can't find the
reference but I can if you wish) the stress levels of marine fishes
living in a properly set up aquarium can be _lower_ than in the
natural world. Makes sense after all, given that an aquarist doesn't
normally stock an aquarium with predators and prey, the fish is living
in a healthy enough environment with plenty of food.

However, this collides with at least some of the "decoration" tanks
shown in "Tanked", such as the infamous "phone booth" tank. Fishes
need an environment with a certain "complexity" to express their
natural behaviors. Reef fishes need rock with plenty of crevices and
corals. Other fishes need a sufficient amount of sand to burrow, and
often they need it to search for food, having special adaptations.
None of these prerequisites are covered in examples such as the "phone
booth" tank. Hence it's fair to assume that the fishes will be
stressed. Worse, the tank is clearly overstocked.

What do I imagine when I watch the show? Well, for me it is depicting
wealthy people who find aquariums "cool" and who, being wealthy
enough, have no problem at all to replenish dead stock monthly. Of
course today it will be an aquarium, next year the trend might be dead
tigers.

Reached this point, you will probably wonder why I am concerned at
all. After that, whatever one person does with an aquarium is a matter
of personal freedom. But at the same time, for the first time in human
history, at least a large amount of people in developed countries
cares about animal welfare.

Now compare: is there a difference between collecting an animal to be
cramped into a poorly designed tank, and, hence, to have a shorter
lifespan subject to heavy stress, or putting it into a tank in which
it will have a reasonable life expectancy, living in an environment
close enough to the real thing that the animal really won't "notice"
the difference.

And this is where the problem is. There is mounting pressure over the
aquarium trade. And depicting the hobby in that way, showing the
decorative furniture of wealthy people, full of disposable fish, the
program is damaging the reputation of all the people in the hobby. And
it's giving unfair ammunition to its detractors.

If Animal Planet pretends to be a channel about education on the
natural world, a reality show of posh fish bowls is not the best
approach, I think. At the same time, I am sure that a properly done
programme could be very interesting. Even much more than the current
approach.

Best regards,

Borja Marcos
Algorta, Vizcaya
Spain