Post-larval capture and culture or PCC is increasingly recognized as a sustainable alternative to wild capture of adult or juvenile fish for the food or ornamental trade. The technique is used to collect fish and invertebrate larvae as they settle from the plankton onto the reef. As this is a time of large mortality in nature, the technique is considered to have almost no effect on natural recruitment of wild stocks. PCC is largely still experimental and MERIP has studied the possibility of using light traps and crest nets, both PCC techniques, to sustainably collect ornamental fish.
You can get more information about our experience with PCC in the CRISP Technical Report and issue of Fisheries Newsletter below:
You can see more PCC photos in our gallery.