In many references that I've read and studied, many species that are in our
native streams are not fully understood or sampled by professional wildlife
professionals mainly due to time and budget restraints; but also due to the
difficulty in performing an all inclusive study of said habitat simply due to the
inhospitable terrain to our human incapabilities.
In my state, there are physical restraints and many natural eco-systems that
would tax even the most experienced scientists who would love to do such a
comprehensive study of the thickly forested and often flooded habitats which can
cover thousands of square miles in any season of the year! Much sampling is
done at low water and within easy access of roads and otherwise near urban
communities as Ray Wolff pointed out. Not to mention the cottonmouth and copperhead
snakes and the American Alligator which all tend to leave one's resolve
somewhat lacking in many areas of our country.
While I agree with the species of special concern ranking for some of these,
perhaps there are some who know better, simply by observing the actual
abundance of some of these species that may be not fully funded for study by the
interested entities; be it state, university or other concerns. If I may suggest,
there are many un-educated naturalists whom would be interested in sharing
their common knowledge with those professionals who would truly be interested in
our experience and expertise for the betterment of knowledge and preservation
of all species.
Some of our best information on life history, feeding, spawning of native
fishes have come from NANFA members, where officialy published books have none,
or very little information! Kudo's to our naturalists who share their interest
and time to help establish a data base on the most overlooked species in North
America! Thanks Nanfan's!
If anyone takes issue with any of my statements, please contact me off-line
and I'll be glad to respond to your query.
Swimmingly yours,
BG
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