>On Fri, 29 Mar 1996, Cynthia.Teague wrote:
>
>> I do have some doubts about the practicality of the whole captive maintenance
>> thing when done outside an organized framework. Some years ago, I spent time
>> figuring out the numbers of fishes involved in attempting to maintain a
>> certain level of genetic diversity over a long period of time; the results
>> were staggering. It seems to me that most people who were trying to maintain
>> a species would either end up doing too much inbreeding, or would swap with
>> only a couple of other aquarists, effectively creating one population pool
>> which would in itself be subject to too much inbreeding fairly soon as well.
>
>A further note on inbreeding. What's better, to maintain a fish in
>captivity with perhaps a 20% loss in genetic diversity, or to lose 100%
>of it's genetic diversity when it goes extinct in the wild when no
>captive stocks are kept?
With the amount of support aquarists are getting from the
organizations that should help to over see programs for captive
maintenance. We'll be lucky to only loose 20% of the genetic
diversity. We'll also be lucky if we can save 20% of the threatened
species. With a little support and guidance, the numbers of aquarists
that could be put to work helping, could far exceed the gallons of
space than could ever be hoped to in schools, zoos and aquariums. But
this is a resource that is not being used. All I can ask is why we
ignore resources in a world so short of resources? Most governments
are cutting budgets for programs, not increasing them. While more
species are becoming threatened. I know of many aquarists that tried
to become involved in programs. Their efforts were rebuffed because
they were only amatures. Today you would have to beg them to get
involved, and they may still decline the offer. Again lost resources.
I've seen talk of getting people involved on a local level to protect
the fish in their local environment. How do you intend gain people's
interest in such programs. Maybe today you could recruit them to keep
an exotic species from the other side of the world. And tomorrow they
realize there are fish in their own back yard that need help. Not many
people come out to help in a vacuum. Its small steps that get people
where they are. Today I see more vacuum, than small steps in
directions that help.
Cary Hostrawser
()
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