FILM FANS WARNED 'DON'T FLUSH THE FISH' WITH UK LAUNCH OF FINDING NEMO

After hundreds of children 'liberated' their pet fish down the toilet, following the launch of Finding Nemo in the United States, two environmental organisations are keen to avert a similar catastrophe when the animated blockbuster opens in the UK on 3 October 2003.

"Finding Nemo is a very engaging film, and parents who already have aquariums need to explain to their children that the fish will not survive if they are flushed," says Paul Holthus, president of the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC), a non-profit marine conservation group based in Hawaii. "We also urge parents whose children are inspired by the film to start a saltwater tank, to think carefully before buying tropical marine fish for their children."

To coincide with the premier, the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, (UNEP-WCMC) in Cambridge, is launching a groundbreaking report, From Ocean to Aquarium: The Global Trade In Marine Ornamentals, which for the first time uses industry data to highlight the most threatened tropical species and makes suggestions and recommendations on their future protection.

Data for the new report has largely come from the Global Marine Aquarium Database, a joint collaborative effort between UNEP-WCMC, the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) and members of various aquarium trade associations.

Copies of the report are available from the UNEP web site at:
www.unep.org
or at:
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/resources/publications/UNEP_WCMC_bio_series/17.htm

From Ocean to Aquarium is accessible online at www.unep-wcmc.org/marine/GMAD/.

A review of Finding Nemo and more details about the Don't Flush... campaign go to Talking Pictures.