> Recently Prof. Tyler was in the headlines because he suggested that some of
> the money being spent on species on the way out ( trying to
> preserve/conserve them) might be better spent on other species not so far
> along the " extinction highway".
> Personally I am not at all confident that even if
> the only living examples of a species are "safe " in aquarists hands that
> re-release into the habitat will be approved.
Where did the M. eachamensis originally come from that they released back
into the lake?
I think these arguments all relate to ones philosophy as to why should we
worry about conservation. For instance, some folks believe that if a
species habitat (say a spring) is destroyed then that species should
never be placed back in the wild, or that we have messed with its
evolutionary path too much etc etc. Are we conserving species so they
can continue their evolution only? Or, are we conserving them for future
generations to enjoy? Or is it a combination of both with some
compromise? There are no right or wrong answers as we are talking about
beliefs. I'm just trying to provide food for thought.
> BTW when I was in Melbourne recently I saw some very nice Dalhousie catfish
> at Glenn Brigg's place.
> I understand that they have been bred under
> aquarium conditions (egg scatterers in plants) so at least the mechanics
> are within the reach of the average aquarist. Of the other species
> mentioned by Peter I feel all are in the same category.
Almost any fish can be bred given enough effort. My point is that most
people don't take the effort. It's one thing to have Dalhousie catfish
and it's another thing to breed them (which is not supposed to be a
reflection of Glenn). How many people have HAD redfinned blue eyes? How
many folks still have them? Same goes with the gobies and hardyheads.
Virtually all have BEEN in captivity. How many still ARE?
BTW, Gavin Rich in Adelaide is the only one to have bred and raised
Dalhousie catfish. All of you at the ANGFA conference should make a
point of twisting his arm to write up a story on spawning them for Fishes
of Sahul. (Gavin said he was going to try to get along)
> If the government can breed and release Trout Cod (and Trout for that
> matter) then surely similar programs for smaller species could work.
I think it all comes down to political presure. Anglers have more than
conservationists (or at least they can "hide" behind the conservation
banner). Who is out there fighting for small native fish? In reality,
the only folks are your Wagers, Raadiks and Koehns etc whom all work(ed)
within government circles and have a personal concern for native fish.
Very little of anything else comes from outside of government.
Tootles
Peter Unmack