Evidence base · Information

Maldives Banned Species Registry

How the Agriculture Online System Classifies Every Banned Species — With a Focus on Marine Aquarium Species

This registry is based on the Animal Species Registry maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare, Maldives, through the Agriculture Online System (AOS). It lists all 657 species currently classified as Banned, together with their scientific names and stated reasons for restriction where provided. Particular attention is given to marine species relevant to the marine and reef aquarium hobby — marine ornamental species appearing in the registry are highlighted below to demonstrate their current classification.

2,905

Total registry entries

2,248

Approved

657

Banned

322

Require breeding certificate

19 / 0 approved

Marine species banned

The full Banned registry

All 657 species currently classified as Banned in the AOS registry. Species whose stated reason is “Marine fish” or “Marine species” — restricted purely on the basis of habitat or origin, not an individual biosecurity or conservation assessment — are flagged and can be isolated with the filter below.

Marine aquarium species only

Showing 657 of 657 species

Page 1 of 27

Note: “Marine” badges reflect species whose stated Banned Reason is explicitly “Marine fish” or “Marine species” in the AOS registry. Other marine-associated species (e.g. brackish/estuarine or salinity-tolerant entries) may also affect aquarium imports but are not flagged here, as their stated reasons differ.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare, Maldives — Animal Species Registry (aos.egov.mv), Banned filter, screenshots captured 16–17 August 2026.

How to read this list

Purpose: A reference showing how species are currently classified under the Ministry's Animal Species Registry, with particular focus on what pathway — if any — exists for legal marine aquarium import.
Scope: All 657 species from the AOS registry currently classified as Banned. Species whose stated Banned Reason is “Marine fish” or “Marine species” are flagged as marine aquarium-relevant.
Important distinction: “Banned” here reflects the registry's current classification. It does not indicate that a species underwent an individual biosecurity, invasiveness, or conservation review — for many entries the stated reason is simply habitat of origin or salinity tolerance.
Source standard: Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare, Maldives — Agriculture Online System (AOS) only. No secondary or aggregator sources.
Update approach: Additional species are appended and corrected as further registry pages are captured and verified.
A critical regulatory gap: While the Ministry's database contains thousands of animal species, not a single marine aquarium species is listed as permitted for import. The result is effectively a blanket exclusion of the marine aquarium hobby from the legal import pathway, rather than a species-by-species regulatory system based on biosecurity risk, invasiveness, conservation status, or controlled permitting.

Verified on 17 August 2026 · Captured from the AOS Animal Species Registry, Banned filter · All 657 entries currently captured.