Every year, enormous numbers of ornamental marine fish, corals, shrimp, starfish and other exotic animals are taken from coral reefs for the live reef fish trade. This includes hundreds of thousands of kilograms of hard corals and live rock, and 15 to 20 million coral reef fishes with over 100 different species. My report aimed to examine the nature and extent of threats to reefs related to the international trade in coral reef resources and recommends strategies and actions to address these threats. GMAD trade records from importers for years 1996-2001 offer an insight into the trade, using the example of Amphiprion ocellaris, one of the most traded species of ornamental fish in the world. Recommendations for key issues to be addressed were; collection of baseline data, improving monitoring resources, developing management plans, building a support network for management and monitoring, development of an accurate LRFT database and, development of awareness information.
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