Ornamental Fish International

What Ornamental Fish International does

Ornamental Fish International (OFI) is a Netherlands-based nonprofit trade association founded in 1980 that operates as the self-described peak international body representing the global ornamental fish industry. It serves companies and organizations with an interest in ornamental fish — breeders, exporters, importers, retailers, researchers, and regulators — across 30 countries spanning the major exporting and importing nations. The organization is headquartered at Oosterinslag 12 in Hoevelaken, the Netherlands, with an operational office in Singapore managed by Secretary General Jonathan Poh.

OFI's core offerings are membership services rather than technology products. Members receive the OFI Journal (three editions per year), bi-weekly email updates, access to an educational book series, a members directory, and engagement across Facebook and WhatsApp groups. The association does not operate proprietary technology beyond Wild Apricot membership management software; there is no API, SDK, or AI-driven platform. Event programming is central to member value: OFI co-presents major industry gatherings including the CIPS 2nd Aquatic Industry Convention (with CIPS, Guangzhou 2025), the International Ornamental Fish Symposium (with Shanghai Ocean University, 2023), Nusatic 2023 (Jakarta), and ZoorfExpo 2025, alongside its Annual General Meeting.

OFI monetizes exclusively through recurring membership fees. Its GTM is event-driven: it reaches and converts members via conventions, symposiums, and tradeshows worldwide, then retains them through publications and digital communications. A central commercial differentiator is regulatory advocacy — OFI lobbies on behalf of the industry in EU forums and CITES processes, and represents the sector to various governments. Leadership comprises President Shane Willis MSc (also Visiting Professor at Shanghai Ocean University), Vice President Svein A Fossa (Norway), and Secretary General Jonathan Poh (Singapore). The organization is governed by its members rather than external investors; no parent company, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity are recorded.

Name

Ornamental Fish International

Legal name

Ornamental Fish International

Website

https://ofish.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ornamental Fish International (OFI) is a Netherlands-based nonprofit trade association serving ornamental fish industry companies — breeders, exporters, importers, retailers, researchers, and regulators — across 30 countries through membership services, publications, and advocacy in EU and CITES forums.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251), Aquaculture (1125), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Ornamental & Aquarium Fish Farming (AFAEAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ornamental Fish Hatcheries (AFAEAKAF), Aquarium & Fish Supplies Retail (CRALAHAI)

Keywords

• Ornamental fish trade
• Aquatic industry association
• Fish trade lobbying
• Aquarium industry networking
• Wildlife trade policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Amersfoort

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: OFI generates revenue through membership fees from companies and organisations with interest in the ornamental fish industry. Membership provides access to OFI journal, email updates, website content, educational series of books, and networking opportunities at global events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ornamental Fish International (OFI) is the peak international trade association representing the ornamental fish industry. It serves members from 30 countries through lobbying in EU and CITES forums, government representation, publications (OFI Journal, bi-weekly email updates), an educational book series, a member directory, and networking at global tradeshows and conventions.

Product overview

Ornamental Fish International (OFI) is a trade association serving the global ornamental fish industry, not a technology product company. OFI operates as a membership organization providing publications, communications, and networking services. Its core offerings include the OFI Journal (3 editions annually), bi-weekly email updates, the OFI website as an information hub, an Educational Series of Books, a Members Directory covering 30 countries, and social media channels including Facebook and WhatsApp Groups. The association organizes and sponsors industry events such as conferences and conventions. Built on Wild Apricot membership management software, OFI does not offer a distinct software product, API, or AI-powered technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OFI Membership Annual membership programme open to any companies or organisations with an interest in the ornamental fish industry, providing access to OFI journal, email updates, website content, educational book series, and networking opportunities at global events.
• OFI Journal The association's official journal published three times per year, providing industry news, trends, and updates to members.
• OFI Website The association's official website serving as a central hub for industry information, member resources, news, and event listings.
• Educational Series of Books A collection of educational books covering various topics related to the ornamental fish industry, provided to members.
• Members Directory A directory of OFI member organisations from 30 countries in the major ornamental fish exporting and importing nations, supporting networking and commercial connections.
• Bi-Weekly Email Updates Regular email newsletters sent to members keeping them informed of industry developments.
• CIPS 2nd Aquatic Industry Convention Aquatic industry convention co-presented with CIPS, gathering breeders, exporters, retailers, researchers, and regulators to discuss industry opportunities, challenges, and innovations.
• Nusatic 2023 Conference International ornamental fish conference co-presented with Nusatic, focusing on industry recovery and trends after COVID-19, held at ICE Exhibition Centre Jakarta.
• International Ornamental Fish Symposium 2023 Online symposium co-presented with Shanghai Ocean University discussing major industry challenges, COVID impact, and future trends and innovations in the ornamental fish industry.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CIPS (China International Pet Show)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025OFI co-presents the CIPS 2nd Aquatic Industry Convention with CIPS, the world's largest pet and aquarium tradeshow. This partnership convenes professionals, breeders, exporters, retailers, researchers, and regulators from over 120 countries to explore opportunities, tackle challenges, and drive innovation in the aquatic industry.
• Nusatic (Nusantara Aquatic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2023OFI co-presented the Nusatic 2023 Conference on 'The Aquarium Fish Industry Moving Forward after COVID-19' at the ICE Exhibition Centre Jakarta, Indonesia. Nusatic is the World's Largest International Ornamental Fish Exhibition and Aquatic Show.
• Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2023OFI partnered with Shanghai Ocean University to co-present the International Ornamental Fish Symposium 2023, celebrating the university's 110th anniversary. The symposium discussed major industry challenges, COVID impact, and future trends and innovations in the ornamental fish industry.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Marine Aquarium Council: MAC focuses on sustainability and certification of marine ornamental aquarium organisms. It overlaps with OFI in setting standards and certification for the aquarium trade, but is more narrowly focused on marine sustainability rather than the full industry.
• World Aquaculture Society: WAS is a global professional society for aquaculture science and practice. It shares OFI's international aquaculture orientation, event-driven model, and academic-industry bridging role, though its focus is broader aquaculture production rather than ornamental trade specifically.

Direct peers

• Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC): PIJAC is the US trade association representing all pet-related businesses including aquatics. It mirrors OFI's lobbying, member-services, and standards-setting model within a larger and overlapping pet-industry membership base, making it comparable in function.
• Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA): OATA is the UK trade association for the ornamental fish industry, lobbying government, promoting responsible trade and running industry events. It is OFI's closest counterpart, differing only in geographic remit (UK/EU-focused vs OFI's 30-country global mandate).

Broad incumbents

• American Pet Products Association (APPA): APPA is the leading US trade association for the broader pet products industry, including aquarium products. It dwarfs OFI in scale but shares the trade-association structure and provides overlapping advocacy and market intelligence functions.
• Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA): PIDA represents distributors in the US pet industry and is a comparable trade association in structure, lobbying function and member-services model, though its scope is broader distribution rather than ornamental-specific.
• World Pet Association (WPA): WPA organises SuperZoo and other major pet industry tradeshows in the Americas. It is comparable to OFI as an organiser of major aquatic industry events and is among the trade show partners OFI collaborates with in the global events circuit.
• European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF): FEDIAF represents the European pet food industry and operates at the EU regulatory level, paralleling OFI's EU-level ornamental fish advocacy. While focused on food rather than live animals, it shares OFI's stakeholder structure and lobbying model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ornamentalfishinternational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ornamental Fish International