Ethical Acquisitions from Marine Aquarium Fisheries

Third-Party Vendor Verification Model

The Ethical Acquisitions Working Group is tasked to create and implement a broadly adopted model that AZA-accredited aquariums can use to identify and support marine aquarium fisheries that acquire animals ethically and sustainably. By 2026, this verification model will support the following:

• An easily recognizable third-party certification or vetted recommendation for marine fish suppliers used by AZA-accredited institutions. 

• A strong position of influence across AZA-accredited aquariums that can be leveraged to support sustainable and ethical collection practices in other sections of the marine fish trade, including the hobbyist market.  

• Andrews et al. 2024. Ethical acquisition of marine fish: Report of an international workshop on the ethical acquisition of marine aquarium fish. 

• Pathway to 3rd Party Vendor Verification website coming soon!

Aquarium Fish Best Practices Transport Manual

The Ethical Acquisitions Working Group is writing a best practices manual for the transport of fish and aquatic invertebrates, with considerations for wild collecting methods. This guidance document has been identified as a critical resource in building greater collaboration across AZA aquariums to support ethical and sustainable transport of live marine fishes.

Topics covered within this guideline document include the following: 

• Air cargo

• Over the road transport

• Coordinated transports

• Self-collection

For more information about transport best practices, please download the full guidelines document here: Coming Soon!!

Aquarium Fisheries Partners, Projects, and Publications

• IndoReefFish 

• MAPI

• Coral Reef Aquarium Fisheries Campaign

• Seaweed Literature

• IUCN Redlist

• Marine Aquarium Fisheries Policy Reviews: 

  • • Anderson and Pomeroy. 2023. Comparative assessment of the U.S. State of Florida's marine life regulations for its commercial marine aquarium fishery. Marine Policy 149: 105523.
    • Dee et al. 2014. Conservation and management of ornamental coral reef wildlife: Successes, shortcomings, and future directions. Biological Conservation 169: 225-237. 
    • UNEP-WCMC. 2022. International trade in non-CITES listed marine ornamental fish: International trade, conservation status, management, and legislation for non-CITES marine ornamental fish in support of the implementation of Decision 18.296. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge. 

Consolidated Supplier Reference (CSR)

When acquiring animals Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) member organizations are required to evaluate animal care, sustainability, legal and ethical practices.

This site compiles information related to a supplier's facility and practices allowing the supplier to share it with all AZA aquariums and zoos for reference when they are making decisions on where to acquire animals. This reduces the supplier's efforts when they work with multiple facilities each year. Data on this site is private and only made available to a customer with a supplier's approval.

Sustainability and animal welfare are vitally important to AZA member organizations. This site provides suppliers an opportunity to demonstrate that their facility is well-aligned with the goal of increased sustainability and care for wildlife.

This process was developed as a reference tool, and thus is not in any way an official AZA approval, certification, or accreditation. This site is not a rating site, the data provided by suppliers will be reviewed for accuracy and confirmed. Information referenced here is not a recommendation, consumers will still be responsible for drawing their own conclusions based on the data provided.

Visit the Consolidated Supplier Reference web page.