RE: NANFA-L-- Re: Chinese Sturgeon on AquaBid

Dustin Smith (dsmith73-in-hotmail.com)
Wed, 10 May 2006 12:08:44 -0400

I think your assessment is pretty well on target, Bruce. I think it is
interesting that this group as a whole has latched onto the sturgeon. I
believe it's because we feel like this hits close to home with our own
imperiled sturgeon. We need something that we can relate to and sturgeon
have been a hot topic for some time here. It's much more difficult to
relate to some Betta from the other side of the earth that most of us will
never see.

I think that Dave's discussion on captive propagation was great in terms of
having fish that may be rereleased into their native range. Some aquarists
actually do take the time to keep the documentation, purity of bloodline,
and genetic diversity through breeding back in wild fish, to make this
possible. Given, this is a very small percentage of the fishkeepers that
are maintaining protected or imperiled species. I also don't necessarily
see the danger of continuing the propagation of what is, in effect, an
aquarium strain of certain fish. Ameca splendens is a great example of
this. This fish is totally lost to it's native habitat. Without aquarists
maintaining captive populations, this fish would not be known and enjoyed by
the general public. Public aquaria and large-scale breeding operations with
reintroduction in mind can only provide so much space. This would leave
tens, if not hundreds, of species that are in the hobby now to be lost
altogether.

I think we all can agree that the best policy would be to protect and secure
the native ranges of these fish, however, this may be next to impossible to
do when it comes to dealing with a third world government and farmers and
ranchers that need this land to subsist.
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