The Aquarist as a Naturalist
Robert Rice
2213 Prytania Circle
Navarre Florida
32566
In the early days of the aquarium trade (the early
1900's) native species were all that most of us could get.
We could not afford to acquire species such as Angelfish or
Discus, even if we had known about them. Our knowledge of
the needs was pretty limited there were no filters, power
equipment, prepared foods, or any of the other luxuries we
take for granted today. Yet in spite of these limitations
the hobby prospered and grew. Our local fishes started the
hobby off fine and for a decade or two they were enough to
keep us happy.
Then came the lure of the exotics and the profits of
importing them. Suddenly by the late 1930's the Native
Fishes were a non issue usurped by the Guppy and all that
came after them. With their demise in the Aquarium trade,
the Aquarist who was a Naturalist became a dinosaur. An
interesting bit useless relic of days gone by. So memories
of colorful species and their unique local names like the
Jersey Discus (Blackbanded Sunfish) and the Kansas Cichlid
(Central Longear) went to the wayside along with the men and
women who pioneered the movement.
Now some seventy years later as things tend to do, we
have come full circle in the aquarium trade. Much to the
surprise of tropical fish importers, many Aquarist are
becoming dissatisfied with the current cycle of importation
and exploitation. We have chosen to look towards our roots,
the way Aquarist got started almost a century ago. More and
more of us are spending our free time studying local bodies
of water in search of suitable aquarium species.
As a consequence Aquarist are surprised to find
themselves becoming naturalist. We did not intend it (at
least I didn't) but you can't spend hours in the field
searching and studying our Natural Resources without being
affected. In much the same manner as Aldo Leopold started
out over seventy years ago. We went to take something out of
our wild places and instead we found those wild places took
something out of us (apathy and ignorance in my case) . We
went to take something away and instead were taken in !
In the 1955 book By Axelrod Atlas of Aquarium Fish
almost 100 pages is spend on collecting tips, ichthyology
and identification tips. Approximately 45 0f the 600 species
mentioned are North American Native species. The Aquarist
mentality has changed a great deal since then. Today if you
ask an Aquarist to name just one local species could he?
When was the last time you saw anything about collecting in
a mainstream publication? We are so distanced from our
fishes we are in danger of becoming immune to the needs of
our fish and the environment they inhabit. Has the hobby
been reduced to a passive sterile source of entertainment a
kind of live Television? I hope not. I know we can do more,
we can do better.
Let me share a personal example of the impact a single
Aquarist can have. A little over two years ago I was
collecting for Orangethroat Darters in one of my favorite
murky, slow Kansas prairie streams. This particular stream
had an unusually colorful and durable Darter strain that
made them excellent aquarium specimens. As I was working the
riffles I began to notice a few Longear Sunfish moving
lethargically across the surface. Wow, I thought Longears
just for the taking, what a lucky break. I scooped them up
with my dipnet, put them in the bucket and kept working. I
came back to my bucket about five minutes later to drop of
some more fish and everything in it was dead. Suddenly the
light went on! There was something in the water moving
downstream killing everything in its path. I took a deep
breath grabbed my equipment, dashed to my car and drove as
fast as I could downstream. I hoped I could beat this thing
downstream and save a few fish and their unique genetic
makeup from certain death. I drove a half a mile or so and
went to work as fast as I could. I worked for almost an hour
before the wall of death made it's way to me. I collected
samples of every type of fish I could until my buckets were
filled past the breaking point ! As I returned home and back
up stream the creek was littered with hundreds of carcasses
and the smell of death was heavy in the air. I reported the
kill to the DNR and in two weeks returned each and every one
of the survivors back to their creek. If an Aquarist had not
happened to be there those fish and the unique strain of
Orangethroat Darters might have been lost forever.
The Federal Government realizes the role the amateur
Aquarist can play in species preservation. They have watched
as easy to reproduce species like the Goodenough Gambusia,
Maryland Darter and Blue Pike
disappeared because the federal agencies did not have the
resources or skills to effectively respond when the species
hit the crisis level. Serious Aquarist have those skills.
They observe fish from a micro perspective, constantly
observing the smallest detail to learn the intricacies of
spawning and rearing a given species. Biologist observe from
a macro level, while very important skill in resource
management, it leaves them lacking many times in domestic
rearing of a species. Together Biologist and serious
Aquarist give a species an excellent opportunity to be
successfully domestically reared!
In these days of shrinking habitats and dwindling
natural resources there is a better way. Aquarist spend
literally billions of dollars a year on their hobby. Imagine
if a small percentage, say three percent, got involved in
keeping, collecting and rearing Native Fish. What if they
joined organizations like NANFA, The Aquatic Conservation
Society or the Desert Fishes Council. The influx of members,
resources, energy and capital would be tremendous ! These
organizations could help set public policy, do species
restoration and community education. These organizations are
sometimes the last best hope for a species as their habitat
dwindles and their populations plummet. With the new members
they would be better prepared to assist on projects like the
Department of the Interiors endangered Madtom breeding site
in Georgia. There are a great many other endangered species
propagation programs we could make a significant difference
on. However we can only make a difference if we are
involved. The Federal Agencies have asked for our input .
Are we able to give any? Will we take the road less traveled
and make a difference?
We are in a unique position in this country. We can
stock our aquariums with beautiful durable fish that are
they the envy of much of the world. It costs us nothing than
a leisurely stroll down to your local pond or creek and a
fishing license (in most cases). We have largely ignored
that opportunity. Aquarist seldom venture beyond the Pet
Store or their fish room. I have yet to hear of Aquarist
getting into the environmental fray on a local level. I say
without question we should! Imagine how your city would be
different if one hundred Aquarist/Naturalist showed up at a
zoning meeting. Where we have the greatest chance to make a
difference we make only the smallest difference. It is time
to make a change, so get out of the easy chair grab a dipnet
and see what's out there . The fish are waiting and the
water is fine!!!!
posted by Christopher Scharpf
Baltimore, Maryland