Re: NANFA-- Disney supports PETA

Patrick Ceas (ceas_at_stolaf.edu)
Fri, 07 Nov 2003 15:55:22 -0600

Jay DeLong wrote:

>> I am missing the connections here with native fishes and our
>> organization.
>> If there isn't a clear and direct one, how about moving this
>> discussion off
>> list ?
>
>
> I agree and am going to delete all messages with this subject from the
> email archives.

Hi all,

Wow. Interesting week of emails. Had I thought that my part of the
thread would cause such uproar then I would have not written it. I
deleted the original Disney/PETA emails and I can't seem to access
recent archives, but as I recall, some topics talked about chowing down
on beef, etc. (I think that this discussion might even have been
slightly sarcastic, I just don't remember).

# Now, the second bullet of NANFA's Mission Statement reads ... to
promote the conservation of native fishes and the protection/
restoration of natural habitats

Therefore, it seemed reasonable to me to direct the Disney/Beef
discussion (the "meat debate" as I called it) towards topics concerning
the causes of habitat destruction and the ultimate decline of
populations. Given the Mission Statement this seemed entirely
appropriate to me, and some of these causes were even witnessed by
Casper during his recent day of snorkeling:
"I believe at one time this creek was a truly spectacular habitat.
Today it drains the flat, rolling plowed and fertilzed farm lands ..."

So, I threw out some figures, which obviously didn't sit too well with
some members, that were meant to show the environmentally harmful
effects of many of our current agriculture and oil-centered practices.
Again, my main point is that without a healthy environment we will have
very few fishes to write about, and if habitats are allowed to continue
to degrade then we will have few reasons to play in streams. It is a
simple statement, but it is fact. I guess that I should have renamed
the thread? Anyway, I already had planned to reply off-list to people
who had asked me for information on computing the numbers, optimism for
the future, etc., and will do so when I have time.

I personally think that talking about habitat degradation is directly
related to NANFA, but I admit that I do not follow every thread so I
therefore do not have my finger squarely on the pulse of the group.

Back to the fishes ....

Pat
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