Re: NANFA-L-- fish ethics/ need help with a fish

dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
Mon, 03 Apr 2006 10:23:27 -0500

Years ago a note was published in (I think) Transactions of the
American Fisheries Society concerning a "mouthless" river carpsucker.
The fish had evidently (based on the morphology) suffered trauma-in-
some earlier time such that it lost a substantial part of the tissues
around the mouth. It had healed with just a small hole in place of the
mouth, and everything else in that area was scar tissue.

The authors presumed that the fish fed on plankton or soft, silty
sediments (quite possible for a carpsucker, of course).

Sorry I can't offer more details, such as bibliographic data. I have
no idea if your cichlid could do this, it just seemed like relevant
information. Carpsuckers of course feed quite differently from the
animal you have.

Would it be better to euthanize an animal than to have it suffer,
perhaps indefinitely?

Dave Mc

David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely/index.htm

"Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"

----- Original Message -----
From: Traci Greve <rnbwdarter-in-yahoo.com>
Date: Saturday, April 1, 2006 11:07 pm
Subject: NANFA-L-- fish ethics/ need help with a fish
> There was a short thread the other day about the
> ethics of photographing and collecting fish. I thought
> I would give my opinion on the subject as it pertains
> to my fish problem. I believe that a fish is a life,
> and is therefore worth respecting. In collecting a
> fish from its natural home (or even buying it from a
> store) we have a responsibility to fufill all of its
> needs, for its whole life. For instance, you shouldn't
> bring home a fish that you can not possibly care for
> until it is full grown. I think that it is the
> fishkeepers responsibilty to select fish that can live
> together in the environment that they are able to give
> them. On the occasion that a fish gets sick, either
> medicate or painlessly euthanize.
> If anyone disagrees, this is only my opinion.
> And having shared my views, my problem. I work-in-a
> store that sells fish. I was brought in a parrot
> ciclid (yes that mongrel hybrid type) today that has
> had his top jaw (the premaxilla) partially ripped off
> by a pacu. It is a fairly large, beautiful specimen
> otherwise and would easily be "adopted" if it can be
> fixed up. As it is now, the fish can't eat. The bones
> are protruding and the skin is hanging down. Would the
> fish be able to learn to eat without this part of its
> mouth? Should I just take it all off? I would feel bad
> to euthanize the poor thing if it has a chance. Any
> ideas would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Traci
> http://mail.yahoo.com
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