Re: NANFA-L-- fish introductions and harmful effects

dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
Fri, 19 May 2006 15:28:56 -0500

Michael, I wasn't going to continue this-in-all. However, I just must
point out that you keep saying that we are holding a position
emotionally, without data to support the position. Yet, you certainly
are doing exactly that. Further, when we present data, you reject them
as not applicable, because you just don't believe introductions are
harmful. This is the classic case of someone who wants to believe
something, and isn't wililng to give it up despite data to the
contrary. Introductions and accidental releases of a wide range of
trophic types of fishes have been disastrous for the systems they've
gotten into, many data support this, and no amount of wishful thinking
will make that go away.

You mention that you have a degree in statistics. For what it's
worth, some of us have advanced degrees in fishery science, ecology,
ichthyology. We've published extensively in those fields, and we also
have advanced training in statistics, which we use every day in our
work. One of the grossest of errors in research is to take a
position, and then hold it in the face of data that contradict it.

If you really want to understand this matter, pose a hypothesis of no
harm from introductions, then review the literature comprehensively in
order to compile a dataset to test that hypothesis. If you still hold
the same position after doing that, please get back with me.

For the sake of native fishes, we can't afford to just introduce our
favorite fish because we think it needs a new home.

David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely/index.htm

"Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"

----- Original Message -----
From: Moontanman-in-aol.com
Date: Friday, May 19, 2006 2:58 pm
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Good Quote Earth Attacked!STOP THIS THREAD!
> In a message dated 5/19/2006 3:26:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> peter.lists-in-writes:
>
> Anyway, I felt that this thread had gone far enough and it was
> time to
> bring it to an end. Perhaps we can move on and ignore further
> posts on
> this whole issue or else we are just going to create another
> email thread
> with nothing to do with native fishes.
>
> Cheers
> Peter Unmack
> Provo River, UT
> /
>
>
> Well, Peter I think you are correct, it has started to degenerate
> into an
> emotional issue with little or no real data to back any of us up.
> I have a
> degree in statistics and I can pretty much prove anything with
> very little data.
> I just wish we could discuss this issue without emotions and
> unsupported
> assumptions getting in the way. Everyone seems to assume that any
> fish released
> into a new water shed spells disaster or like me I doubt that is
> true-in-all.
> Somewhere in there must be the truth and I still think that we
> could come up
> with parameters that would predict the effects of a fishes release
> on a
> streams ecology.
>
>
> Michael Hissom
> aurea mediocritas
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