rious threat to some of the worlds richest coral reefs. Cyanide is used by fishermen to stun and capture reef fish alive; however, the cyanide also kills untargeted corals and many other coral reef organisms. Cyanide fishing to collect aquarium fishes was first reported in the Philippines in the 1960s. Since then, more than a million kilograms of cyanide has been used on coral reefs in that country (Coral Reefs: Cyanide Fishing and Live Reef Fish Trade, 1998). Recently this destructive fishing technique has spread to other countries to meet the growing worldwide demand for ornamental aquarium fishes and for live reef food fish (especially in the restaurant trade in Hong Kong, James W. Hyde BIOL 1040China, and Taiwan).Coral reefs are critical to food security. Coral reefs and associated sea grass and mangrove habitats provide fishery resources that represent a critical source of food. Reefs contain over 4,000 species of fishes as well as crustaceans, molluses, and other edible invertebrates. Overfishing threatens these resources throughout the world. Reef fisheries have already been greatly diminished by overfishing and habitat destruction. Overfishing is widespread, occurring on most of the worlds reefs (Richmond, 1993).The commercial extraction of corals for aquarium and ornamental specimens, jewelry, and construction materials is joining the threats as cause for concern to the biodiversity, structure, and function of coral ecosystems. Extraction of corals for curios, jewelry, and aquarium trade is driven by international demand. Coral for aquarium and curio trade involves hard corals in the Orders Coenothecalia (blue coral), Milleporina (fire coral), Scleractinia (stony coral), Stolonifera (...
