a bit off topic Re: NANFA-- position on educational collecting

anutej_at_loxinfo.co.th
Thu, 30 Aug 2001 04:42:43 +0700

Maybe not. Sometimes it depends on how good-looking the wild fish is
and how is it represented. Many strains of killie species are kept
and bred so that they look as close to the original as possible and
there seems to be some "ethics" for people to keep them to do so. For
example: sure, there will be many variants of longear cultivars [eg.
super red, turquoise, longtail, etc.] but in this case I believe
stuffs like eg. [fictional] "Kansas", "Alabama", "Ozark", "Tennessee",
etc. "wild" strain that will be quite close to the original will also
be kept and bred that way. They will be preserved either by their own
unique beauty, ethics, or maybe some smart guys can create the demand
for these wild-form cultivars [like some killies, discus, or Siamese
tigerfish] such as one may be more colorful or larger or have some
unique color pattern on the body.

Tony
anutej_at_loxinfo.co.th

> colored Texas rat snake. Commercialization of native fish will result in
> the same situation..."I don't want that multi-colored longear sunfish, give
> me that 'snow' longear" will be commonly heard.
>
> We can learn a lot from the mistakes that the herpers have made over the
> years. They went commercial and now are being highly regulated in many
> areas. They have either intentionally or acceidentally produced a huge
> array of mutations which they now actually breed for. And, the herper who
> really knows much about the natural habitat of the animals that they keep
> are few and far between. However, those few herpers who still venture
> afield in search of wild critters (oftentimes just for photography purposes)
> are some of the best all-around naturalists that I know.
>
> Just my 2 cents worth.
>
> Rob Denkhaus
> Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

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