Lightning Maroon Clownfish

[dcantucson]

So cool! I want 2!

Maybe you could get a few hundred off if you buy two! :lol:

 

[Ret_Talbot]

Hi, All. My name is Ret Talbot, and I am a writer and photographer who frequently covers the hobby and the trade in general. I was in Papua New Guinea last month (researching a story on the EcoEZ SEASMART Program) when this PNG lightning maroon clownfish was collected. I was fortunate enough to take some of the first pictures of the lil guy, and I have to say that it is an amazing fish. I am not a big fan of designer clownfishes, but this natural variant is very cool, and, as most of you know, it is not the only one on the reef. The PNG lightning maroon clownfish collected in 2008 was from the exact same reef, which is part of the Fishermans Island Fisheries Management Area (FMA) in Papua New Guinea. For the record, this fish was sustainably (net) collected in less than 5 meters of water by SEASMART-trained fishers from Fishermans Island, and the fisher was well compensated for his work (that's a hallmark of the SEASMART Program). The fish was then imported by Pacific Aqua Farms and the retail sale was handled by Blue Zoo Aquatics. Blue Zoo decided not to sell it to the highest bidder (bids well in excess of $7000 were made!) but instead chose to get it into the hands of a reputable breeder. Matt Pedersen is that breeder, and you can follow his progress here:

The Lightning Project - The ongoing saga of the PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish Breeding Project

For more on the backstory, you can check out the SEASMART and the Blue Zoo Aquatics articles here:

seasmart

The Story Behind Blue Zoo's PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish

For more backstory on PNG and SEASMART, check out my blog from the trip here:

On Assignment in Papua New Guinea with Travel Writer and Photographer RetTalbot

...and look for my article slated for the May/June issue of CORAL Magazine! :-)

Here's one of my pics too. Enjoy!

 

[puttycat]

Thanks for the link very interesting, glad they are trying to breed them.

 

[yote]

Thats some interesting information Ret.Thanks for posting it.
And welcome to Living Reefs.

 

[motorcyclereefer]

Thank you and welcome to the livingreefs.