I don't see how instances of the havoc created by introduced fishes suggest
that an "ancient potential" (?) exists, or that fish introductions are
successful because Nature is that way. There are numerous examples of
failed attempts to release and establish wild populations of non-native or
captive reared fish. Take the Atlantic salmon mess in the Pacific
now. For years fishery agencies deliberately tried to get Atlantics in the
Pacific northwest, but efforts failed time and time again-- eggs, fry,
adults, everything. It's ironic that when everyone was kind of on the same
page that it was a bad idea, it happened accidentally and now there are
Atlantics established in Pacific rivers. I understand your optimism but
this notion of "ancient potential" overlooks genetic science and the
problems with captive breeding such as domestication-- reducing the
population to small number then breeding those individuals resulting in the
permanent loss to the whole species of rare genes, because it's these rare
genes that allow for adaptation and survival of the species. The biggest
disservice we can do for fishes is talk about individual animals as though
they hold some magic secrets to their species. Fish species are about
populations, and populations are defined in the context of their
environment and the selective pressures under which they came about:
chemical, biological, physical, whatever. Habitat conservation is the way
to save species and species diversity.
-- Jay DeLong Olympia, WA /----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /"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 </x-flowed>