Million kisses for Nemo campaign to save wild reef fish from pet trade

A MILLION kisses for Nemo is the latest instalment in a homegrown campaign to protect wild reef fish from the pet trade.

Grace Giblin checks out clown fish at the Seaview Aquarium Centre. Pic: Calum Robertson

A MILLION kisses for Nemo is the latest instalment in a homegrown campaign to protect wild reef fish from the pet trade.

Flinders University Associate Professor Karen Burke da Silva said the Saving Nemo captive breeding program was gearing up for the Finding Nemo movie sequel, Finding Dory.

“We’re hoping if we take this program up a notch that we will actually be able to do some fundraising and build a proper breeding facility, not just for clownfish but for other marine ornamental species,” she said.

The social media campaign #fishkiss4nemo asks people to “do your best fish kiss for Nemo,

take a photo on Instagram and tag three friends to take the challenge, then share your kisses with Ellen DeGeneres (the voice of Dory) @TheEllenShow.”

Grace Giblin, 8 of Panorama remembers watching Nemo “getting caught by a diver” in the movie. She said the breeding program was a “good idea”.

A clown fish — aka Nemo — at the Seaview Aquarium Centre. Pic: Calum Robertson

“We should look after the environment,” she said.

At Seaview Aquarium Centre on Anzac Highway, Plympton, she enjoyed watching the colourful clownfish dancing around their sea anemone.

“They loved the little anemone, hiding in it and sticking on it,” she said.

“It was very pretty to look at.”

The Aquarium makes an effort to identify the source of every fish available for sale, whether wild caught or captive bred.

Originally published as Million kisses for Nemo campaign to save wild reef fish from pet trade