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Where Aquarium Fish come from | The REAL NEMO STORY | Sailing Florence - Ep.100
14 May 2021 · 23 min · 197K views · Mentawai Islands
What this video covers
A 37-ft yacht, Florence, encounters a local Indonesian fishing operation in the Mentua Islands while sheltering from a storm.1:27 The crew discovers the vessel targets tropical saltwater fish for the global aquarium trade, a practice that requires divers to use rudimentary hookah gear to reach depths of 20 meters.11:03 These divers operate without depth gauges, dive computers, or formal training, often remaining underwater for over an hour, which significantly exceeds standard decompression limits.12:54 To keep the captured fish alive, the crew uses needles to vent air from the fish's swim bladders and stores them in oxygenated plastic bags on deck for up to two weeks.14:18 While the fishermen avoid destructive methods like cyanide or dynamite, the intensive collection of ornamental species has noticeably depleted local reef populations.20:16 The experience highlights the human and environmental costs of the aquarium pet trade, as well as the extreme physical risks taken by local fishermen to supply it.
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