The three main hubs of aquarium trade devastation are Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Each has its own sad story of political corruption and theft of natural resources to benefit a greedy, ruthless few.

Decades of isolation from tourism and development have left Cuba’s coral reefs among the most pristine in the world, an “exceptionalism” that stands in stark contrast to the island nation’s poverty and political situation. Famed diver/photographer Robert “Snorkel Bob” Wintner showcases these magnificent reefs with his astounding underwater images, while also capturing terrestrial life in the cities and villages of the island nation.

Neptune Speaks is packed with full-color photographs of tropical fish on every page, but this book is more than just a beautiful guide. It's a call to defend the creatures of the sea that are under attack by fierce predators--humans. The popularity of keeping tropical fish in home and office aquariums, and the overfishing of waters around the world to satisfy the demands of diners looking for ever-more exotic fare have put these amazing species in danger of disappearing entirely.

Lively and irreverent, this book is more conversation than lecture, and more social than scientific. 

The book is colorful and based in action, with insight to the lives and homes of reef fish, while pointing out a dark undercurrent now sweeping reefs clean around the world, the aquarium trade. Hawaii supplies 80% of all fish in U.S. aquaria, and many more fish for Europe and China.
Underwater is under the radar for this devastating commercial extraction with no regulation, no catch limit, no limit on the number of catchers and no protection for rare or endemic species.