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One of our central guiding principles at Segrest Farms is our dedication to ensuring the fish that we carry are not only the highest quality and healthiest fish possible but also ensuring that we are bringing in fish from the most sustainable and responsible sources possible.
To truly meet this goal requires a blended approach. Sometimes it means offering captive bred fish, sometimes it means supporting sustainable wild collection, and sometimes it means offering both.
One organization we are truly proud to support in these efforts is Rising Tide Conservation.
Who is Rising Tide Conservation?
Rising Tide Conservation is a nonprofit organization working with research universities, public aquariums, pet industry professionals, and aquarium hobbyists with the goal of supporting marine aquaculture programs and expanding the knowledge base of how to aquaculture marine fish.
Perhaps the most important role that Rising Tide Conservation has taken on is supporting the researchers who are on the frontline of unlocking the secrets of aquaculturing marine fish and opening channels of communication with producers in order to develop successful aquaculture practices.
Why is This Important?
For the most part, aquaculturing freshwater fish is a fairly straightforward process. The vast majority of the freshwater fish you find available are farmed in ponds around the world. Some fish need a little more personalized attention or to be separated into breeding pairs, but by and large there are few hurdles involved in freshwater fish breeding.
The story is completely different when it comes to marine fish.
The life cycle of a marine fish introduces enormous complexity into being able to spawn and rear them as a result of the larval period that almost all marine fish go through. During this period, the fish larvae need extremely precise conditions, including exactly the right amount of current and exactly the right density of exactly the right food items available at exactly the right time.
Figuring out what is exactly right is a huge problem. Solving it involves an enormous amount of time, highly specialized equipment and knowledge, and a huge amount of resources (i.e. funding). The research organizations doing this work are themselves non-profit organizations and rely on external funding to survive and operate. Rising Tide Conservation is an invaluable tool in keeping these organizations running.
Once researchers discover the keys to aquaculturing a marine fish, they, along with Rising Tide Conservation, can develop standardized methods that commercial producers can use to bring these fish to market and into your tanks.
Rising Tide Conservation's Successes
Rising Tide Conservation has made key breakthroughs with many fish. Perhaps most notable recent accomplishments are the first batches of Yellow Tangs (Zebrasoma flavescens) at the Oceanic Institute at Hawaii Pacific University and Pacific Blue Tangs (Paracanthurus hepatus) at the University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Lab.
| Rising Tide Conservation Aquacultured Species |
| Pacific Blue Tang | Yellow Tang | Milletseed Butterflyfish |
| Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse | Porkfish | Lancer Dragonet |
| Jackknife Fish | Seabream | Bluestripe Grunt |
| Ocellated Dragonet | Koran Angelfish | Ternate Damselfish |
| Silver Moony | Orbic Batfish | French Grunt |
| Semicircle Angelfish | Highhats | Crested Oyster Goby |
| Green Chromis | Melanurus Wrasse | Purple Masked Angelfish |
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Supporting Rising Tide Conservation
We are proud to support Rising Tide Conservation and their efforts. When the first batch of Yellow Tangs were made available to the public, we were excited to be one of two wholesalers allowed to offer them, and we donated the entire proceeds from those fish back to Rising Tide Conservation to continue their research. We have also helped hold and supply broodstock, including growing out some of the first offspring to parent future generations.
We also encourage hobbyists to support Rising Tide Conservation through direct donations and by choosing aquacultured marine fish when possible.
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