Re: NANFA-- Bluenose shiner news

Steffen Hellner (steffen_at_hellner.biz)
Tue, 23 Sep 2003 09:33:35 +0200

> To put an exclimation on Jay's point... Once you've removed _any_ animal
> from it's habitat, it's basically biologically DEAD. What you do with it
> after that can come in many different forms, some with more value, others
> with less... "Value" having mostly to do with the amount of information
that
> comes from that animal's removal. But once it's out of the stream, wether
> you're a Federal Agency, a hatchery that contracts with governments to rear
> endangered species, or fish enthusiast / home hobbiest... Wether you soak
> it in formalin, smash it up into a bunch of assays, or keep it alive and
> even breed it in a tank. Until it interacts with it's home population
> again, it's dead.

Two things have to be done: first, save the species4 habitat and you will
most probably save the species. If this is about to fail, secondly save the
species in captivity. Or just let it go.

> And, I'll add.... I long ago ran out of fingers and toes to count the
number
> of enthusiastic hobbiest who were "Gonna breed {insert species}!"

And have long run out of hairs to tear off for counting people moaning about
others but not doing better themselves.

> As Chris said... I _do_ have enough fingers and toes to count the number of
> people who've actually even made a decent attempt at that... Consistently.
> ;)

Right, how can one make attempts without having the fish? Well, this problem
will be solved, soon. ;-) And more, what if somebody really "cracks" the
fish? The myst is gone then, what to gossip about after? The history of many
species in aquaristics shows this way of acting and lost attention (the
angelfish, diskus, red neon, Uaru a.m.o.). Nobody really is free from it,
but if a species4 "system of reproduction in captivity" is detected, others
can breed it and the fish will be established. The excellent breeders mostly
don4t stick to some species they manage to breed but go for a new one.
That4s making progress. Breeders only sticking to one or two species and
breeding them for 20 years or longer are of high value, too, but don4t
generate progress.

And many people are afraid of others being able to do what they can4t.
That4s one cause why many fishes come and go without being reproduced. If
one doesn4t make it, this person will rather let the fish die but to hand
them over to another breeder. It4s just as in life.

Steffen
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