Defining research priorities to detect live fish illegally collected using cyanide fishing in Indo-Pacific coral reefs

Abstract

Indo-Pacific coral reefs face an unprecedented level of anthropogenic pressure. Cyanide fishing is a highly destructive method employed to capture live fish from Indo-Pacific coral reefs and supply the live fish food trade in Asia and the global marine aquarium trade. To allow the development and implementation of an effective and reliable testing platform to screen live reef fish for cyanide poisoning, without their sacrifice, and thus contribute to the ban of this practice from Indo-Pacific coral reefs, the following research topics must be urgently addressed: 1) selection of a suitable model species; 2) standardization of experimental methodologies; 3) exclude the possibility that the target compound(s) being monitored to detect live reef fish illegally collected using cyanide originate from other sources than cyanide poisoning; 4) clarification of the excretion physiology and cyanide pharmacokinetics in marine fish; and 5) evaluate interspecific differences in excretion physiology and cyanide pharmacokinetics in marine fish.