Where DO all of those "extra" fishes go?

[Tannin Aquatics]

Have you ever stopped, just for a moment, and contemplated just how many fishes are bred and collected each year worldwide which end up in the ornamental tropical fish trade?

And when we talk about breeding of fishes, we're not just discussing the big commercial hatchery level, mind you- take into consideration "basement breeders", advanced hobbyists, and even the casual "dabbler" in the hobby. Cichlids, Guppies, Catfish, Tetras, Bettas, and thousands of species in between. It has to be a pretty staggering number, huh?

Where my mind really blows is when you think about just how many fishes are being produced and collected, versus how many people are in the tropical fish hobby, or simply keep tropical fish worldwide..I read somewhere that in 2012, a study concluded that 1 in 10 British citizens keeps tropical fish...wow! That's just in Great Britain. Consider continental Europe, North America, and the Asian marketplace...I mean, if it's even 1 in every 20...or 30, for that matter..."that's still a *&^%-load of people", as a good friend of mine would say!

Yeah, that's a lot of fish! (click to read more)

 

[dogofwar]

Pretty simple (and sad): they die.

 

[mchambers]

I'm amazed by the statistics that 10% of British citizens keep tropical fish. Maybe we should all move there?

 

[DiscusnAfricans]

I'm amazed by the statistics that 10% of British citizens keep tropical fish. Maybe we should all move there?

I'd be surprised if less than 10% of Americans kept fish, at least at some point in their lives. Other than picking up the accent, England doesn't really do anything for me.

 

[Tannin Aquatics]

I'd be surprised if less than 10% of Americans kept fish, at least at some point in their lives. Other than picking up the accent, England doesn't really do anything for me.

I was really shocked by the statistic, myself..!