“Finding Nemo” made clown fish famous in one fell swoop when the film was first released 20 years ago. The cute protagonist conquered millions of hearts. The blockbuster brought little luck to the cute species.
Button eyes, tiny pout lips, mini fins and a white collar around the bright orange neck – people around the world fell madly in love with a little fish 20 years ago. No wonder: few sea creatures are as cute as clown fish.
The creators of Pixar knew that too: When the animated film “Finding Nemo” was released in the USA on May 30, 2003, it made the anemone inhabitants world famous in one fell swoop. The hype continues to this day, often with negative consequences for the delicate animals.
“Since the film, people all over the world have been dying to keep clownfish in their aquariums, including here in Thailand,” says marine biologist Tatee Sutadra, who works on the dream island of Koh Phi Phi Don. “But most don’t know how to properly care for them – and that makes it dangerous for the animals.” The 26-year-old runs a clownfish project at the Marine Discovery Center at the resort’s SAii Phi Phi Island Village.
Not all clownfish are orange
Snorkelers can watch the cute mini fish in their natural habitat in the turquoise sea of Loh Ba Gao Bay directly in front of the hotel complex. In the marine center there is a breeding station where clown fish (Amphiprion, as they are scientifically called) are bred. The aim is to inform vacationers, but also locals and school classes, about the animals and the threats. “Children are naturally fascinated by clownfish, but we also want to inspire them to take an interest in their conservation,” says Bart Callens, SAii Resorts Regional Hotel Director.
Once or twice a year some juveniles of the species false clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris, also called orange ringed anemonefish) are released into the wild under the supervision of the national park authority in the Andaman Sea. It’s the same species as Nemo and his dad Marlin are in the cartoon.
There are around 30 different clownfish species in total, seven of which live in the sea around Thailand. The animals belong to the damsel fish – and not all are orange.
But clownfish are always sensitive, says expert Tatee Sutadra: “If the water temperature isn’t right, they’re kept in fresh water instead of salt water, or they get the wrong kind of food, they get sick or die.” But the worst thing is that clown fish have been hunted since the hype surrounding “Finding Nemo” to fill the aquariums. That drove the costs up to an impressive 500 Thai Baht (14 euros) per copy. “Suddenly clownfish have a price. They didn’t have that before the movie.”
Over a million specimens caught each year
The success of “Finding Nemo” wasn’t good news for clownfish, the Washington Post wrote back in 2016. “Getting the message of most films can be a challenge, but the moral of “Finding Nemo” seems pretty simple: Leave the fish in the sea where they belong.”
According to the Saving Nemo charity, which works to protect the species, over a million specimens are now caught in the oceans each year. This has decimated the inventory considerably. “Clownfish can be easily bred in captivity, so our solution is to supply stores with farmed fish,” the website reads.
The run on the animals may come as a surprise, since the film is mainly about trying to free Nemo from captivity. As a reminder, the little fish is caught by a diver on his first day of school in the sea and finds himself in the aquarium of a dentist’s office. While he plans an escape with the other residents, father Marlin and the forgetful Dory go in search of the prodigal son. The panic in Nemo’s eyes when he bites the walls of the aquarium instead of swimming in the vastness of the ocean is one of the key scenes in the blockbuster.
Unique symbiosis with sea anemones
Meeting them in the sea is far more rewarding than seeing the animals behind glass. When snorkeling off Koh Phi Phi, several bright orange specimens peep out of their sea anemones. They don’t dare go far. The danger of being eaten by hungry hunters is too great. Usually they swim around the tentacles in safe proximity and then disappear again into the flower animal, with which they live in a unique symbiosis.
Anemones have numerous tentacles through which they release toxic substances. They can use it to drive away or even kill fish. Clownfish have a special mucous membrane that makes them immune to the toxins. According to studies, this becomes even thicker over time through contact with the anemone, so that the animals can easily seek protection between the tentacles.
When the Marine Discovery Center releases farmed clownfish in the Andaman Sea, the experts have to help them get started: “They are initially protected in the sea with a net for a month,” says resort manager Peera Boonsang. “You can’t just release them, most of them wouldn’t survive. They have to get used to the new environment and the sea anemones first.”
However, sea anemones are increasingly threatened by global warming. Just like corals, they bleach and die as a result of rising water temperatures. For the clownfish, this means that they find fewer and fewer hiding places and safe places for their young. “Marine biologists around the world fear we could lose Nemo in the wild,” Saving Nemo warns.