does anybody REALLY believe that a species will be saved just by legal
protection? Without eliminating the threads from industry, agriculture and
land-taking for building plants, ressorts and whatever? No fish species ever
has been extinct by aquarists. Not even by petfish trade (even severly
plundered sites have recovered - no excuse for that behavior but a sign for
the strength of intact nature). What has brought all the endangered species
in the US or Europe or Japan and elsewhere to be rare or endangered? Cole
mining, latifunds, industry, pollution and land consumption in any way. It4s
the same everywhere in the world. Don4t try fighting cancer by cutting
fingernails! Legal protection without changing the environmental situation
is just a placebo. Compare to the Panda - if that species was ugly as an
opossum, would it be protected and cared as it is? NO! And who the f... in
public or politics really cares for some ittibitti fishes? That4s Mickey
Mouse.
And when a legally protected species finally is extinct, the authorities can
say "We tried what we could". Yabbadabbadoo!
My personal program is: keep the species you like, try to spread them around
and never give them up - otherwise they will be gone from the hobby. There
are efforts to save Aphanus apodus, which obviously is extinct in nature
(Algeria), in aquarium. It is there for more than 10 years now and will stay
much longer for sure. If the vasted money for Pandas (which are at the edge
of their biological development by their own species mismanagement) or
Sibirian Tigers (my most favorite animal but it has no chance in the wild,
sad to say) would be taken to protect species which have a chance to
survive, we could save hundreds more. But those will neither look like
Teddybears nor be as majestic as the tiger. Millions of people watch whales
in the sea or in "Oceanariums" but all keep eating thuna without reflecting
to the uncountable millions of dolphins, whales and seals killed for that.
Even the "Flipper" image doesn4t help.
What are we talking about here? Changing the world? Taking economy to think
reasonably about nature? Sorry, but can you hear my laughs over the ditch?
Steffen
> Von: "B.G. Granier" <bgkajun_at_worldnet.att.net>
> Antworten an: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Datum: Sat, 13 Sep 2003 11:44:21 -0500
> An: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
> Betreff: Re: NANFA-- Bluenose shiner news
>
> I hate to say this, but I think that someone is crying wolf.
>
> BG
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bruce Stallsmith" <fundulus_at_hotmail.com>
> To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
> Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2003 10:03 AM
> Subject: Re: NANFA-- Bluenose shiner news
>
>
>> Such a statement to state DNRs could have a good effect just to draw it to
>> their attention. If worse comes to worst then we can say "we told you so"
>> for all the good that does... If welaka is listed as Special Concern in
> any
>> of these states, it would be a good focal point for asking for GENUINE
>> concern for the species and trying to stop their systematic elimination in
>> the wild. All we have to do is do it(!).
>>
>> --Bruce Stallsmith
>> Huntsville, AL, US of A
>>
>>> From: Christopher Scharpf <ichthos_at_comcast.net>
>>> Reply-To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
>>> To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
>>> Subject: Re: NANFA-- Bluenose shiner news
>>> Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2003 09:52:24 -0400
>>>
>>> BG,
>>>
>>> I agree completely! But here's the deal: If unscrupulous collecting of
>>> welaka is taking place for hobbyists and/or the European aquarium trade,
>>> then wildlife officials will eventually be moved into action, and *all*
>>> native fishkeepers may get the blame. In this way, NANFA might be found
>>> guilty by association. And who knows, access to other (non-imperiled)
>>> natives might be denied. But if NANFA issues a pre-emptive policy
> statement
>>> against the collection of welaka, then NANFA -- and hence all native-fish
>>> enthusiasts -- will appear responsible and pro-active.
>>>
>>> Heck, it might be a good idea to issue such a statement *now*, as a
>>> precautionary measure. Send the statement to all state DNRs in the
> welaka's
>>> range, alerting them to the potential for unscrupulous collecting, and
>>> urging them to survey all populations and conclusively determine the
>>> conservation status of the species. NANFA could throw a few dollars in to
>>> help support the work.
>>>
>>> Perhaps some of you LA-MS-FL members can form a welaka work group. Heck,
> if
>>> a bunch of animal right nutcases can keep mute swans from being killed,
> why
>>> can't NANFA help protect the most beautiful minnow in North America?
>>>
>>> Chris
> --
>> /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
>> / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
>> / Association"
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> Association
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> 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
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> / nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
> / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page,
http://www.nanfa.org
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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/ 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