Re: NANFA-- Collecting ethics

Richard Rego (mummichog_at_naisp.net)
Mon, 12 Jan 2004 12:16:52 -0500

Moon,

I couldn't agree with you more!

Rick Rego

----- Original Message -----
From: <Moontanman_at_aol.com>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2004 11:42 AM
Subject: Re: NANFA-- Collecting ethics

> Nick, while I agree with you for the most part I would like to ask your
> opinion about who is really the greatest danger to fish. A hobbyist who
wants to
> collect a few fish or habitat destruction? I think that is what Steffens
> argument boils down to. hobbyists are much easier to pass laws against
that limit our
> ability to collect fish than it is to prohibit a large company from
> destroying habitat through pollution, development, or large scale
projects. My own
> epiphany about who is really hurting the populations of animals come from
watching
> a river die when I was a kid from gas well drilling in the head waters of
the
> river. Even now the river is just starting to really be what it used to be
> but now development is starting the whole process of destruction all over
again.
> Right here where I live despite what I had been told were air tight laws
> against the destruction of wet lands I see wet lands being covered over
for golf
> courses, houses and parking lots everyday. A great marine naturalist and
avid
> collector (I can't remember his name right now) wrote in his book about
> collecting live coral from the Florida keys for aquariums and how laws
were passed
> that kept him from collecting small pieces of coral from an area where he
had
> been collecting for many years. This area was densely populated by many
species
> of coral and collecting small pieces had not had any effect in the many
years
> he had been collecting. Then laws were passed prohibiting all coral
> collecting. Two years later a sea side housing development caused
pollution and
> siltation that killed all the coral in the area both large heads of coral
and the
> small buttons he liked to collect. He wasn't even allowed to go in after
it became
> apparent all the corals was going to die and try to collect a few heads
for
> his use. The coral never recovered and the area has no coral anymore.
Hobbyists
> and or aquarium collecting are an easy scapegoat that politicians can use
to
> show they are doing something about endangered species to get your vote
while
> the true dangers are allowed to go on because they have the money to have
real
> power and are difficult if not impossible to stop.
>
> Moon
>
> Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a
> troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be
left to
> irresponsible action. -- George Washington

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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