Cyanide

A cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the group C≡N, with the carbon atom triple bonded to the nitrogen atom. Inorganic cyanides contain the highly toxic cyanide ion CN- and are the salts of the acid hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Organic cyanides contain the cyano group (CN) single-bonded to another carbon atom are also known as nitriles. Two cyanide ions can bond to each other via their carbon atoms, forming the gas cyanogen (NC-CN).

Fishing

Cyanides are used to capture live fish near coral reefs for the aquarium and seafood market. This illegal fishing occurs mainly in the Philippines, Indonesia and the Caribbean to supply the 2 million marine aquarium owners in the world. In this method, a diver uses a large, needleless syringe to squirt a cyanide solution into areas where the fish are hiding, stunning them so that they can be easily gathered. The cyanide stuns the fish by affecting the uptake of oxygen in their gills. Environmental organizations decry the practice, as do responsible aquarists and aquarium dealers. To prevent the trade of illegally caught aquarium fish, the Marine Aquarium Council have created a certification in which the tropical fish are caught legally with nets only. To insure authenticity, "MAC Certified marine organisms bear the 'MAC Certified' label on the tanks and boxes in which they are kept and shipped." *. The MAC certified fish are usually healthier and longer-lived than cyanide-caught fish, since their vital organs are not affected by the poison. Many fish caught in this fashion die either immediately or in shipping. Those that survive often die from shock or from massive digestive damage. The high concentrations of cyanide on reefs so harvested has also resulted in cases of cyanide poisioning among local fishermen and their families.

Related Topics:
Coral reef - Aquarium

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