We've updated the Selects page on our web site, where you will find the above brand new underwater photo and other favorite marine images from our collection.
Above photo qp72613. Photo of Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) schooling in front of purple Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica), high resolution digital capture made in North Sulawesi Indonesia. As you may imagine based on its striking looks, this tropical fish species is popular in the worldwide aquarium trade. It is bred successfully in captivity, but is still being captured in the wild. Its native range in the wild is very limited, and its population is now considered threatened as a result of perhaps a 90% decline due to intense collecting. Originally restricted to the Banggai Islands in Indonesia, it now is also found in two other areas off Sulawesi, probably the result of introduction by fish traders in the last decade. I photographed this in Lembeh Strait, 250 miles away, where they seem to be doing very well. In fact, I wonder if they are displacing native species. In 2007 it was proposed to protect this species under CITES, but Indonesia said no.
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