Marine Teleost Taxon Advisory Group
The Marine Teleost TAG is chaired by Attila Varga (Sosto Zoo). The goal of the TAG is to develop breeding programmes for marine fishes in the European zoo and aquarium community. Focusing on research of marine species will contribute to the development of programmes for breeding marine teleost species in human care. A main goal will be to improve the management of marine fish species, developing breeding protocols and communicate the joint - collaboration between European and other international partners. There is a specific focus of this TAG to focus on sustainable breeding of marine teleost species to reduce the dependency of wild caught individuals.
The expanding goals of the TAG are:
1. regularly monitoring of marine teleost species in human care (through questionaires and ZIMS or other record keeping systems)
2. regularly evaluating of the gained data to modify the Regional Collection Plan (RCP) to meet the requirements of a changing world
3. Setting up breeding programmes for popular species. There a few hundred thousand species under the marine teleost TAG which makes it challening to keep genetically healthy populations of these in the available aquariums. Due to this the popular species breeding programmes should focus on decreasing the pressure on - and supporting the use of sustainable use of wild populations. This goal needs further development with researchers and other experts.
4. Setting up breeding programmes for species under risk. The first TAG meeting focussed on the evaluating of fish families according to the directives of the RCP. Future TAG meetings will focus on setting up breeding programmes (EEPs, ESBs or Monitoring programmes). The difficulty with marine teleost species is that they do not breed easily in human care. Therefore, the overal focus of the programmes should be as follows. Firstly, establishing research groups on the breeding of chosen species and taxonomic groups. Secondly, to discuss the possibilities of collaborative cooperation with other regional marine teleost TAGs, ex situ and in situ researchers and other ornamental fish experts. For managing different groups subgroups within the TAGs will be established.
5. Setting up shared environmental education programmes about marine teleost species. The TAG should encourage the establishing of these programmes with ambassadors species such as popular species (Nemo) clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) and facinating species such as seahorses (Syngnathidae), humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) and cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). This shared public education programme can also support standardizing the message from aquariums about the efforts aquariums undertake on raising public awareness about exploitation, polution and degrading of coral reefs and about the scientific work undertaken with these ambassador species. The TAG welcomes experts on these subjects to apply for membership. The TAG has worked closely with the EAZA Which Fish? campaign.
The Regional Collection Plan has been published and can be found here.
There is a call for members which can be found here.
The new style EEPs managed under the TAG are:
1. Hippocampus guttulatus (Long-snouted seahorse)
2. Hippocampus hippocampus (Short-snouted seahorse)
3. Pterapogon kauderni (Banggai cardinalfish)
The Marine Teleost TAG has a survey out which you can find here. Please fill it in and send it to Attila Varga (curator.ocenarium@sostozoo.hu)
References and more information
Fish of the year campaign
The Marine Teleost TAG is proud to announce the fish of the year campaign. Please click here for ways to get involved