This is to clear up some potential misunderstandings on my albino posts. I
was not questioning anyones ethics in whether they do or don't play with
albinos or crosses. In regards to ethics my point was that if someone
wants to do it that's fine as long as they are ethical with what they do
with the fish once they are finished. I don't think albinos or crosses
should be released to anyone who is likely to release the fish. I also
don't see that crosses shouldn't be allowed while sports are. To me,
anything deviating from the "wild" type should be treated the same. What
if Ron had produced a sport of M. eachamensis? I take difference to
Bruce Hanson's early comments "ANGFA may find some vegemite but we can't
sponser a hybridization study" I think ANGFA should sponser a
hybridization study if someone was to undertake it as in my opinion it may
help the club to get fish into the country. Hybridization
is one of the big arguements against importation. In addition, I'm not
neccessarily advocating that everyone should start crossing fish. If
anything, someone who keeps a number of rainbows is the wrong person to
do it as it is most likely that their crosses would contaminate other
pure species in their fishrooms. I feel that that is the same risk
with sports. It's just as easy to cross an albino with a normal type
and spread around all these potentially recessive genes that you can't see.
Then you inbreed the population and before you know it all you have is
recessives. Don't even mention the dangers related to "conservation
breeding". When we have so few fish in captivity it wouldn't take much
to lose the pure stock. Once they are mixed you can only tell by
brother sister matings over two or three generations. Sure you can
breed it out, but you also breed out a lot of other genetic variation
too. In my opinion, crosses and albinos should not be released to
anyone except those who definately know better to spread them any
further. But I do support hybridization and ablinism studies as long as
those who do it take responsibility (but then there are no standards set
by anyone either).
I also openly invite anyone to take me to task on anything I write as
that is what I do to everyone else and I appreciate it when people do
take me to task as it forces me to either think more critically or to
justify my ideas. If I tread on anyones toes it is not intended. If
you feel I have then please point it out to me so I can clarify things
as I have in this post. I am only human and I regularly put my foot in
my mouth (which is much easier to do over email). And in case you are
wondering Julie and I are together otherwise I wouldn't have made the
work comment. :-)
Tootles
Peter