Re: NANFA-- position on educational collecting

B.G. Granier (bgkajun_at_worldnet.att.net)
Wed, 29 Aug 2001 16:18:28 -0500

Well said Rob!

As native fish fans, we need to focus on the enjoyment and therefore
education of our fellows in the need for preservation instead of
commerialization!

BG
----- Original Message -----
From: Denkhaus, Robert <DenkhaR_at_Ci.Fort-Worth.TX.US>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2001 3:46 PM
Subject: RE: NANFA-- position on educational collecting

> I have been sitting back watching this exchange and enjoying the give and
> take. I've been tempted several times to chime in but have refrained
> because I am working on an article for AC (Chris, you know what I am
talking
> about) and this discussion is in many ways at the heart of it. Without
> making a future AC article too redundant, I do want to address one facet
of
> this issue (clipped below):
>
> > > As I suggested in my original post, perhaps we should encourage
> > > more people to get some of their native fish from tank-raised
> > > stocks. That will help to reduce the number of fish that are taken
> > > from the wild....It's something I'd like to see reflected in
> > > the NANFA mission statement.
> >
> > An honorable sentiment, to be sure. But would that lead to the
> > commercialization of native fishes? And would
> > commercialization be a good
> > thing or a bad thing?
>
> In my humble opinion, Shireen is not seeing the big picture in her
statement
> (top portion). Yes, we should encourage the use of tank raised stock for
> those that are simply interested in "collecting" fish like stamps and
> baseball cards. If their goal is to be able to claim to having a
"complete
> set" of darters, shiners, sunfish, etc. then this will completely satisfy
> them. But what about those folks that use the keeping of native fish as
an
> opportunity to get out and enjoy the natural world and to bring a piece of
> it back home whether it is for education or recreation or even science?
We
> have all been to the zoo and seen lions but how many of us really know
what
> a lion's habitat looks like except through a television screen or on the
> glossy pages of a magazine? We all know what a wood duck looks like and
> what kind of area it might live in. But how many of us know how each
> feather gleams with an array of colors under different light conditions?
> There are certain levels of nature appreciation that can't be attained
> completely in the field or in captivity but through a combination of the
> two, a person can develop a certain oneness with nature.
>
> Personally, I consider myself one lucky SOB because in my job I get to see
> animals, plants, and every part of nature in both situations. I want to
> share these experiences with my children and the other children and adults
> that I work with at the Nature Center. I can spout facts and figures all
> day long about how beautiful and important these fish are and explain how
> vitally important their habitat is or I can take them down to the stream
and
> let them immerse themselves in nature and gain their own personal
connection
> to it. If they take home a few red shiners or even a couple darters so
that
> they can watch them in their home aquarium, then maybe they will support
the
> next attempt to block a zoning change or something else that will result
in
> habitat loss. Modern society allows us relatively few opportunties to
truly
> become connected to nature the way that the old-timers could. Please
don't
> suggest taking this one opportunity from us.
>
> Regarding Chris' statement (lower portion), commercialization, in my mind,
> would definitely be a bad thing. Although I remember a wildlife professor
> explain to me that the best way to save a species was to place a dollar
> value on it, commercialization carries way to much baggage. Consider the
> "native" plant industry. Here in Texas, the native plant movement (which
is
> intimately tied to xeriscaping, a good thing) has resulted in the "taming"
> of many of these wild plants. Once in the nursery it seems that even
plants
> are subject to domestication and the result is the production of
cultivars.
> This has also happened in the herp industry which started out the same way
> as native fish. Today, it is possible to find virtually any color variant
> (read: mutation) of a rat snake but try to find a good old fashioned
normal
> colored Texas rat snake. Commercialization of native fish will result in
> the same situation..."I don't want that multi-colored longear sunfish,
give
> me that 'snow' longear" will be commonly heard.
>
> We can learn a lot from the mistakes that the herpers have made over the
> years. They went commercial and now are being highly regulated in many
> areas. They have either intentionally or acceidentally produced a huge
> array of mutations which they now actually breed for. And, the herper who
> really knows much about the natural habitat of the animals that they keep
> are few and far between. However, those few herpers who still venture
> afield in search of wild critters (oftentimes just for photography
purposes)
> are some of the best all-around naturalists that I know.
>
> Just my 2 cents worth.
>
> Rob Denkhaus
> Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
>
>
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/----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes / Association" / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association / nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to / nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to / nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead. / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org