The Pet Industry

Where do all the guppies, red swordtails, black mollies and other tropical fish on the U.S. market come from? About a third of the tropical fish sold in U.S. pet stores are bred in the United States--95% of them within a 50-mile radius of Tampa Bay, said David Boozer, executive director of the Florida Tropical Fish Farms Assn.

Most of the rest are imported through Los Angeles from such East Asian countries as Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and the Philippines, importer Steve Lambourne said. Neon tetras are among the most popular species, with Lambourne’s company alone importing 15,000 to 25,000 a week.