It's a great idea for discussion, Michael. This rule may be basic but not
one that everyone goes by-- not even everyone on this list, and certainly
no state fish and wildlife agency. Sadly, the people that feel this way
are a minority. But it is important for several reasons: (1) Personal- if
you want to protect your ability to collect and keep native fishes, (2)
Environmental- if you want to protect what's in your streams and lakes from
the well-documented negative effects of unwise releases, (3) Legacy-
putting our self-serving human nature aside to reflect that what's here was
here long before us, should persist during our time, and be passed on as we
would a family heirloom. Preserving biodiversity should be a fundamental
interest because we still have much to learn about nature and ourselves.
Why not release cheetahs in the States, too? They're fast enough to catch
a pronghorn or deer, and I guess there's room for a bunch of them in
Wyoming. The problem with the sturgeon isn't that there's no where to put
them, and making us feel guilty about that fish isn't going to help
either. We're losing thousands of species annually worldwide from habitat
destruction-- That's the problem, isn't it? You work towards a better
understanding of the real problem and everything else starts to take care
of itself.
-- Jay DeLong Olympia, WA /----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /"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 </x-flowed>