Abstract

The pet trade is the dominant pathway by which non-native marine fishes have arrived in south Florida. One such species, the invasive lionfish, has been ecologically and economically damaging to coral reefs in the region. Despite this case study, which may have been at least partly caused by release from an aquarium, specific traits that have led owners to no longer wanting their saltwater fish and releasing them leading to introductions have not been examined. We collected information on marine fishes in the aquarium trade from online shops and used multivariate statistical techniques to determine traits linked to introduced species. We then cross-checked them with traits described by stakeholders in social science surveys. Popularity of species in the trade was the most important trait describing introduced species, where a more popular species was more likely to be introduced. We also found that species that required larger tank sizes, were of average cost, and larger maximum lengths were more likely to be introduced. Aquarists and marine fish distributors reported that aggression and large maximum length were characteristics that deem a species unmanageable and lead to fishes being unwanted by owners. We identified species in the trade with this suite of traits and assessed their likely establishment based on whether or not their thermal physiology matched annual conditions in south Florida. This analysis resulted in a list of seven species from the aquarium trade that are likely to become introduced based on their traits, and, if introduced, capable of becoming established on south Florida reefs. Our results provide guidance towards preventing introduction of marine fishes from the pet trade, involving potential policy implementation ensuring owners have adequate enclosures for marine fishes.