Unfortunately, the only way to tell if the fish has been harvested in this manner is to cut it open and have a look inside. In the Phillipines, this has become such an issue now that fish are randomly sampled on a weekly basis after they are brought in by the fishermen. If any are found to have been poisoned, the buyers refuse any more from that fisherman.

In my opinion, this practice should be adopted everywhere tropical fish are collected from reefs. Another alternative is to raise tropical fish for sale here in the States, although to me this denies subsistance collectors any income at all.

As for the Epaulette Shark, while I applaud the discovery of a new species, all the reports I read made it sound like this new one was the first shark seen to exhibit this behaviour. On the contrary, it’s what all Epaulette Sharks do. We had one here at the small aquarium where I work, and I don’t think I ever saw him swim.

A release of cyanide into the water stuns fish in a given area long enough to be easily caught – effectively stripping the reef of all life, taking what lives, and leaving what it may have killed.

I don’t know much about dynamite fishing in the ocean, but that is certainly to catch them for food.
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Cool shark!

I especially enjoy these new shrimp species being discovered – first a furry shrimp and now a praying mantis shrimp! I’m still waiting for the pirate shrimp, maybe a one-eyed fellow that scowls at you.