RE: aquarist involvement in species conservation
Les Kaufman (lesk at BIO.BU.EDU)
Mon, 18 Mar 1996 09:30:03 -0500
Hi, everyone. Please remember that the FTAG (Freshwater Fishes Technical
Advisory Group) injunction against hobbyist fishes returning to SSP
breeding programs was an initial move of caution. First, aquarist
participation is viewed as very, very important for maintaining
availability of taxa for research and education purposes. That is a huge
responsibility that if well served, serves everyone- scientists, educators,
hobbyists, and the public at large, for many generations. Chuck Rambo and
others have contributed immensely in this way. But efforts are still very
diffuse in the hobby, despite ACN and other like organizations. I wish
that right now we could have confidence that, for example, the Nawampassa
fishes of the sort flooding into Europe and North America were recognized
for what they are and maintained in the hobby. They may not last long in
Lake Nawampassa. Also, those fishes are being collected with wanton
abandon, and possibly great harm to this tiny refugium. Hobbyists could
help us figure out what the sources are, who the collectors are, and help
establish ethical collecting practices. All I know right now is that it
includes some European who wasn't very forthcoming when he met one of our
students at lakeside.
How many other Lake Nawampassas are there? Aquarists could make a huge
contribution by taking responsibility for their purchases!
Along another vein, how many aquarists are involved in conservation of
aquatic wildlife in their own communities? Aquarists could be a major
force to strengthen the now extremely weak network of conservation
commissions and planning boards. That would be a real positive force, and
close to home. Who is doing so? How many more could?
FYI, the LV-SSP folks are very concerned about the potential dangers of
reintroduction and thinking it through very hard. Although we plan to
bring critical taxa back to Africa for exhibit and research purposes,
reintroduction is on go-slow or limited to small, contained experiments
until we are more certain how the still-extant taxa might respond to
ameliorative measures. A major emphasis right now is on helping with
community-level and museum-based public education efforts around Lake
Victoria and in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Anyone interested in donating
funds or in-kind equipment, etc. to this effort?
Les Kaufman
Boston University Marine Program
Department of Biology
Boston University
5 Cummington Street
Boston, MA 02215
e-mail: lesk at bio.bu.edu
phone: 617-353-5560
fax: 617-353-6340