Re: NANFA-- Collecting ethics

Steffen Hellner (steffen_at_hellner.biz)
Mon, 12 Jan 2004 18:21:51 +0100

Yap!

Thank you Moon for this example. That4s "wildlife management" at it4s best.
New Age Management has failed in economy - why should it work for nature?

Steffen

> Von: Moontanman_at_aol.com
> Antworten an: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Datum: Mon, 12 Jan 2004 11:42:18 EST
> An: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Betreff: Re: NANFA-- Collecting ethics
>
> Nick, while I agree with you for the most part I would like to ask your
> opinion about who is really the greatest danger to fish. A hobbyist who
wants
> to
> collect a few fish or habitat destruction? I think that is what Steffens
> argument boils down to. hobbyists are much easier to pass laws against that
> limit our
> ability to collect fish than it is to prohibit a large company from
> destroying habitat through pollution, development, or large scale projects.
My
> own
> epiphany about who is really hurting the populations of animals come from
> watching
> a river die when I was a kid from gas well drilling in the head waters of
the
> river. Even now the river is just starting to really be what it used to be
> but now development is starting the whole process of destruction all over
> again.
> Right here where I live despite what I had been told were air tight laws
> against the destruction of wet lands I see wet lands being covered over for
> golf
> courses, houses and parking lots everyday. A great marine naturalist and
avid
> collector (I can't remember his name right now) wrote in his book about
> collecting live coral from the Florida keys for aquariums and how laws were
> passed
> that kept him from collecting small pieces of coral from an area where he
had
> been collecting for many years. This area was densely populated by many
> species
> of coral and collecting small pieces had not had any effect in the many
years
> he had been collecting. Then laws were passed prohibiting all coral
> collecting. Two years later a sea side housing development caused pollution
> and
> siltation that killed all the coral in the area both large heads of coral
and
> the
> small buttons he liked to collect. He wasn't even allowed to go in after it
> became
> apparent all the corals was going to die and try to collect a few heads for
> his use. The coral never recovered and the area has no coral anymore.
> Hobbyists
> and or aquarium collecting are an easy scapegoat that politicians can use
to
> show they are doing something about endangered species to get your vote
while
> the true dangers are allowed to go on because they have the money to have
real
> power and are difficult if not impossible to stop.
>
> Moon
>
> Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a
> troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be
left
> to
> irresponsible action. -- George Washington
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/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org