The Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) was a non-profit stewardship organization based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. Established to provide education and certification to fisheries of ornamental

marine aquarium A marine aquarium is an aquarium that keeps marine plants and animals in a contained environment. Marine aquaria are further subdivided by hobbyists into fish only (FO), fish only with live rock (FOWLR), and reef aquaria. Fish only tanks ofte ...

fish, as well as facilitate the supply of ecologically sustainable imports for wholesalers and dealers of fish, coral, and invertebrates for use and sale in marine aquariums, MAC monitored the trade in order to optimize its relevancy and effectiveness in the live fish trade. MAC ceased to exist in 2008.

History

The Marine Aquarium Council was created in 1998 to create universal system of standards and eco-labeling in the marine aquarium trade. MAC worked with conservation officials, fisheries, importers, and wholesalers to develop certification programs at fisheries in the Philippines, Indonesia, Fiji, Hawaii, and the UK. Compliance to its standards is voluntary. MAC issued certificates of compliance to fisheries, importers, exporters, and retailers throughout Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. MAC certification was the only program of its kind to offer wholesalers and retailers a credential recognizing environmental stewardship and ethical treatment of marine life.

References

Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles Fishkeeping {{nonprofit-org-stub