This isn't necessarily so. I just read a book called *The Endangered Species
Act: History, Conservation, Biology, and Public Policy* by Brian Czech and
Paul R. Krausman (2001, Johns Hopkins Univ. Press). The authors studied the
cause of endangerment for 844 federally listed species and found that only
*one* species -- the Florida salt marsh vole -- is endangered naturally (due
to climactic changes). Still, it is prevented from a chance at natural
recovery by development surrounding its surviving range.
> But to play devils advocate with myself, its possible some of these
> species have not had a chance yet to become common.
Where is it written than a species' evolutionary objective is to be common?
You raise a great question re: the whiteline topminnow. Was it going
extinct, or was it just getting started? Unfortunately, due to man, we'll
never know the answer. Not only is the species gone, but its own unique
trajectory in the evolutionary scheme of things.
> I think it would be best to try all options to help these species.
> This not only includes habitat preservation, but also making these
> things ( even slimes) more important to more people. That is why I
> believe in captive husbandry and making these fish more appealling to
> more people.
Hear, hear! I have an article with the same message in the Nov. issue of
Tropical Fish Hobbyist.
Chris Scharpf
Baltimore
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