Re: NANFA-L-- F. julisia (was myth of restoration)

Bruce Stallsmith (fundulus-in-hotmail.com)
Sun, 08 May 2005 13:40:29 -0400

One big difference is that JR and various associates have been doing this
professionally, one way or another, for a long time, with a variety of
employment affiliations. Another big difference is that they do it full
time, working in close coordination with a variety of federal, state, and
nonprofit groups.

Could NANFA get into running a land trust and management program? Sure. I
think we could raise the money to do it. The bigger question is the
management part, but even that could function with some intense preparation.

Why hasn't NANFA done this in its 30+ year history? We've never had more
than 500 members scattered hither and yon, with very different interests and
views to this point. Many members only want to keep aquaria and get cool
fish, maybe don't even care about broader conservation (dare I say
environmentalist?) concerns. Even if many of us started to breed one or more
vulnerable species on our own, how many amateurs are still-in-it in 5 years?
10 years? This is a major question. How do you coordinate restocking fishes
into some kind of natural habitat, assuming it's still available? Are the
fish being released disease-free, are they the same population or even
species that we think they are?

Personally, I think many of these questions could be answered, too. But they
should be looked-in-in a broader context of preserving habitat and biota.
Otherwise we'd just be spinning our wheels.

Also, you could always local TNC managers if you could collect fish on their
property. If you tell them why, they'd probably let you.

--Bruce Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL, US of A

>EELReprah-in-aol.com wrote:
>
>>In a message dated 5/8/05 8:43:55 AM, ichthos-in-comcast.net writes:
>>
>><< Who would you rather see buy "your" welaka pond, TNC or Wal-Mart?
>> >>
>>
>>NANFA, for example. Start a fund raising drive.
>>
>>Lee Harper
>>Media, PA
>>/-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>Hear, Hear!
>Alas, we'd never be able to come up with that kind of cash in time.
>However, something just occured to me. Many of the NANFA members are some
>of the smartest and most skillful aquarists I've ever known, and hey,
>natives are already their specialty. How come NANFA, after 30 years, still
>isn't in the business of captive breeding and restoration? How does a guy
>like JR qualify when an organization like NANFA does not?

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