Friday July 14, 2023
PhysOrg —
Keeping tropical fish as pets could contribute up to 12.4% of the UK’s annual average household CO2 emissions and up to 30% of the UK annual average household water usage, a new study finds.
The carbon footprint and environmental impacts of keeping pet fish has been calculated for the first time by Cardiff University’s Water Research Institute.
Dr. William Perry, Research Associate at the Institute, said, “In the UK, 4 million households own a pet fish and it’s estimated that 70% of those that keep fish have a tropical freshwater aquarium.
“The carbon footprint of owning pets such as dogs and cats has been previously calculated, but we have provided the first estimates of carbon dioxide emissions produced from running a tropical aquarium, as well as estimated water consumption.”
Dr. William Perry developed estimates of the environmental impacts of fish keeping across multiple countries in Northern Europe (France, Poland and the UK). The estimates are discussed in the context of freshwater and marine aquariums, calculated using example aquarium sizes of 50, 200 and 400 liters. The research, “The environmental impact of keeping a tropical aquarium in Northern Europe,” is published in the Journal of Fish Biology.