For the Fishes

What it reported doing in 2024

1.education and outreach: for the fishes (ftf) advocates for the end of the capture, purchase, and display of wild marine life in personal saltwater aquariums. Activities include but are not limited to public engagement and advocacy, enforcement, coalition building, and efforts aimed at reducing consumer demand for wild marine life. The focus of ftfs main efforts is in Hawaii, which historically was the world's third largest source of wild reef fishes and other creatures for the marine aquarium trade which sells wildlife to aquarium hobbyist, businesses, and institutions worldwide. Hawaii's comparatively small coral reefs were heavily impacted by decades of over-exploitation. The Hawaii aquarium trade regularly captured far more fishes than were allowed to be taken by the queensland, australia aquarium collectors from australia's entire great barrier reef which is 300 times larger than Hawaii's reef area. Heavily targeted species have been depleted by upwards of 90% in some of Hawaii's most heavily impacted areas. Ftf has long advocated for the need for better management and solutions. The state's failure to enact rules or legislation to address the trades impacts led ftfs executive director to pursue legal remedies, along with a number of partners. With pro bono representation by earthjustice, the nation's leading environmental law firm, the first law suit reached Hawaii's supreme court and resulted in a ruling in late 2017 that aquarium collection permits were illegal and invalid for non-compliance with the Hawaii environmental policy act (hepa). 2024 was the seventh consecutive year that Hawaii's reefs remained free from the destructive aquarium trade. The absence of aquarium collection has resulted in millions more essential reef fishes and invertebrates on Hawaii's reefs, enhancing their health, beauty, resilience to climate change, and immense benefits to residents and visitors, alike. This increase in marine life abundance is the direct result of ftfs work that has, thus far, prevented the resumption of aquarium collection under deeply flawed eiss. Hawaii shark protection: on january 1, 2022 the Hawaii shark protection act took effect, and Hawaii became the first state in the nation to prohibit the intentional or knowing capture or entanglement of any shark, whether alive or dead, or killing of any shark, within state marine waters. In 2021 ftf and its partners in the native hawaiian community led the effort to pass this new law. Ftf has continued to reach Hawaii residents, businesses and visitors about the importance of sharks to native hawaiian culture, their important role in a heathy ocean ecosystem and the passage of the Hawaii shark protection act in signage displayed at Hawaii's harbors and boat ramps, in collaboration with the Hawaii department of land and natural resources. Tank watch: most people are unaware that fewer than 5% of the fish species kept in saltwater aquariums can be aquacultured on a commercial scale, or that the u.s. Marine aquarium trade annually imports over 11 million wild coral reef fishes for aquarium hobbyists, small business and large public display aquariums. For the fishes advocates for an end to the keeping of wild marine life in personal saltwater aquariums and works to educate consumers and the public in order to reduce consumer demand for this wildlife. In 2024 we reached tens of thousands of aquarium hobbyists and those interested in marine fishkeeping on our webpage, tank watch, designed to educate marine aquarium hobbyists and through search engine ads thanks to a generous in-kind donation from google.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 69.9%; rating input score 70
• Program expense ratio: 90.5%; rating input score 91

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 22.8%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.17; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 46.7%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings