On behalf of every fish enthusiast and scientist's that are involved in the
study of native fishes, let me say that the entire subject would not have
arisen if not for the interest given the most neglected fishes on the planet
"Earth" if it were not for groups like the American Killifish Association
and NANFA, the North American Native Fishes Association!
To most people, these small fishes are simply regarded as "bait-fish" or in
the cases of many African, Asian, and maybe even Australian village's even
became the meal of the day.......
What both organizations have in common is the appreciation and adding to the
scientific communities' knowledge of locally unknown and un-appreciated
fishes that comprise a part of the eco-systems that we also inhabit.
Without collecting fishes, who would know what is out there? Many fishes
are, to date, in the year 2001, unknown to science! There are many species
that were collected by hobbyist's and afterward were captively bred and
distributed to the aquarium trade. Many species have completely disappeared
in the wild, with or without the assisistance of over-zealous money-hungry
collectors or exporters! There are many variables, the worst of which is
environmental pollution!
Euorpeans have lost nearly 90% of their native fish populations, therefore
they became focused on the other continents wealth of fish diversity, and
one cannot blame them for reaching out to other sources for attractive
native fishes that are worth saving, even through artificial means.....
The Asian countries are doing well in furnishing many species that are
tank-bred, while not maybe pleasing to the discerning eye, and filling in
the gap between wild-caught and tank raised, which is in itself, a
whole-nother problem! But, in so doing, they have taken a lot of pressure
off of the wild stock!
Please don't hesitate to write or dis-agree with me, here. Hey, it's an open
forum!
Regards,
BG
Remember that all fish are native to somewhere, and _only_ there!
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