Nick Zarlinga
Aquarium Biologist
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
216.661.6500 ext 4485
><)> -----Original Message-----
><)> From: owner-nanfa_at_aquaria.net
><)> On Behalf
><)> Of Moontanman_at_aol.com
><)> Sent: Monday, January 12, 2004 11:42 AM
><)> To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
><)> Subject: 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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><)> / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North
><)> American Native Fishes
><)> / Association"
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><)> American Native Fishes Association
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><)> page, http://www.nanfa.org
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org