5 Things I Learned About Banggai Cardinalfish

June 27, 2017

Species Highlights

New to the Aquarium, little by little I am learning about aquatic life. This week the Banggai cardinalfish caught my eye. Apparently this little looker has caught many people’s attention because the live marine ornamental trade demand has its numbers dwindling. Conservatively 500,000 are being scooped up in the wild annually—more than half of which don’t even survive long enough to make it to a pet store. A 2015 survey estimated only 1.4 million fish were left in its small, natural range in Indonesia’s Banggai Islands.
Here are five things I’ve learned about the coveted species that the US National Marine Fisheries listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act last year:

You can learn more about the Banggai cardinalfish at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium—where curiosity is only natural.

— Sam Fryberger, Marketing Director

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