The Lightning Maroon Clownfish from Papua New Guinea is the newest feather in the cap of the Seasmart Program and thanks to decisions being made at Blue Zoo Aquatics, the lightning maroon clownfish may eventually become a shining example of sustainability and ethics in the marine aquarium trade.

In an unprecedented turn of events, Blue Zoo Aquatics has rebuffed the countless stratospheric offers for the lightning maroon clownfish, opting instead to select a buyer that is an accomplished fishbreeder in the United States who can give this fish the undivided attention it will need to establish a productive breeding program. One of the benefits of short-chain supply fish like this maroon clownfish from Seasmart is that it is straightforward to know the general collection area from which this fish was collected, and to pair it up with other maroon clownfish from the same area which may also be carrying some of the genetics which produce the extraordinary lightning bands of this clownfish.

One of the other really cool facts about the lightning maroon clownfish is that the Seasmart participating fisherman who collected this fish was handsomely rewarded for his catch, a far cry from the average price of $0.02 per fish that an Indonesian fisherman can expect. The lightning maroon clownfish from PNG has already appeared on the Blue Zoo Aquatics Collector’s Choice for a modest $2500 with a SOLD sticker but regardless of the price, it is very heartening to know that BZA selected the future owner of the fish based on it’s potential to become the founding member an established strain of clownfish in the aquarium trade.

There are so many more details about the Seasmart program which made it possible to have this fish available to the US, and so many more questions about the future of this fish. For now we can tell you that Ret Talbot, who was in PNG writing a story about the Seasmart program when this fish was captured, will be writing up a full article in the next BZA newsletter to be released tomorrow afternoon/evening. Huge thanks to Ret Talbot, Kris Wray, Mark martin and the Blue Zoo staff for keeping Reef Builders readers in the loop on the history and future of the lightning maroon clownfish. We look forward to BZA’s official announcement in tomorrow’s newsletter and be sure to follow the break for many more images of the lightning maroon clownfish.