I am certain everyone knows of the beautiful fish found on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. To swim on the reef is to visit a world of amazing colors, living marine rainbows. Thousands of colorful and exotic fish species make the tropical reef their home, however, on occasion, some leave this home, to visit other regions of Australia.

With the exception of most sharks and rays, the majority of tropical fish on the Great Barrier Reef use a reproduction method which results in some unintended outcomes. The females swim close to the surface to deposit their eggs, followed by males who ferterisie them. These fertilized eggs drift in the ocean, where some are frequently picked up by the south flowing East Australian Current, which deposits them along the coast.  For example, during late Summer in Sydney it is not unusual to see various species of butterfly fish, angelfish, bannerfish and other marine tropicals, left to mature in our more temperate summer waters. Sadly, the vast majority of these beautiful fish cannot tolerate the cooler temperatures of Winter, and they die off, rarely reaching maturity.

As a result, there are people dedicated to giving these unfortunate, displaced visitors a potentially longer life, by capturing them and placing them in home aquariums. The laws regarding fish collection are strict and differ in various states. One member of the AirBuddy community, Steve, is a long time, who began collecting tropical fish in the 1970’s. Over the years he’s become an experienced tropical fish collector and aquarium enthusiast. He reminds us that all who collect these potentially doomed fish for aquariums must learn their relevant state regulations. (For NSW rules see: Bringing the Wild to Your Aquarium: Catching and Keeping Fish in New South Wales – The Art of Micro Fishing ). Steve has the required collection permits and tells us that this hobby can be extremely educational and can introduce everyone to the wonders of this unique ecosystem. Many areas have aquarium clubs which can help guide the novice collector in what’s permitted and what’s not, in each state.

Steve’s years of experience has taught him how to collect these shy creatures and advises interested collectors to watch the fish for a long time, learn their favorite places and when they routinely swim to an area where collection is possible. He recently told me how distressed he was going out to scout for the last of the season’s living tropical and discovering areas where others had turned over coral heads to expose fish, destroying the coral and the environment which houses numerous species of marine life.

While in many states using SCUBA or hookah systems is not permitted for tropical fish collection, AirBuddy is the perfect scouting tool, allowing divers the opportunity to watch the parade of marine life for long periods of time.  For the price of a couple of battery charges, using AirBuddy allows you to easily become a part of the underwater setting, learning the behaviours of undersea creatures and their interaction with each other and the underwater environment.