>At least we are hopefully getting
>somewhere. Has anyone else been bothering to read this other than Bruce,
>Rhonda, and I? Everyone else seems very quiet about the issue. Whether
>you agree or think any one of us is full of shit it is nice to get at
>least something!
>
I am listening Peter, just that I disagree with you and Bruce puts things so
much more betterer than me :-) I don't think many arguments would convince
you that PNG rainbowfish are not going to become a danger to our Australian
streams.
I think you pretty much hit it on the head in an earlier posting where you
referred to yourself as a "purist" - I think it was (no sarcasm or
bitterness implied). I think that we can dream the utopian dream but it's
not going to happen. As Bruce mentioned already we have introduced so much
trash to this country it will never be the pristine place it once was. I
for one - and I am sure you too Peter - have seen western streams so
degraded by cattle that it's a wonder fish can ever swim back into them.
But the beef industry doesn't give a stuff about fish and the fish "police"
are more interested in stopping aquarists having a hobby, than to try and
tackle those political/economic issues head on. Then of course there are
the sparrow, starling, rabbits, foxes, pigs, buffalo, camel, deer, gambusia,
carp, redfin, TROUT etc. the list just goes on.
Peter and Rhonda's points about Australia being lucky not to have the same
degree of problems as they do in the US are certainly valid and understood.
The fact remains that PNG rainbowfish are highly desirable to the aquarium
buff and the aquarium industry. I certainly believe that the importation of
these fishes - especially in a controlled and regulated manner - would see
the main supposed threat become negligable, ie., disease. Quarantine is a
great leveller and I don't believe anybody has any arguments with this
except maybe the fly-by-nighters interested in only a quick buck.
The majority of rainbowfish (as is the case for the majority of all tropical
fish) would be kept in the larger towns and cities where 90% of our
population resides. If any fish were flushed down the loo, tossed down the
local creek etc, and they were able to survive and form self sustaining
populations then they would be fighting for stream space with
goverment/council introduced gambusia, aquarium introduced
swordtails/guppies and in some cases other fish like cichlids or
weatherloaches as Peter has previously mentioned, as well as fisherman
introduced and translocated species. Of course it all depends on climate as
to which fish will survive where but I am telling nobody nothing here.
Believe me - it is a fact that the majority of our city/town rivers/streams
are already degraded and populated with feral species. Australia is no
utopia - you'd best remember that.
Now that doesn't mean that we should just disregard the problem, but I can't
see PNG rainbowfish being introduced into the "pristine" areas that Peter is
worried about. Yes I too would be worried about this if I thought it was a
possibility. But to introduce fish into the habitat of trifasciata for
example you would need to make a concerted effort to transport the fish to
Cape York or even further afield to Arnhemland and dump them on purpose.
Ask Roy and Peter how difficult it can be to transport fish over that
distance and terrain and keep them healthy. This is not to say that some
misguided idiot might not try but I believe that under the current system
whereby it is illegal to import these fish there is more "incentive" for
some idiot to try as the fish have a potentially high value in respect to
the fact that there are not that many freely available here.
So to summarise:-
I support the environmental argument about Australia's "clean" waterways but
remind you that the areas of highest risk for dumping are already filled
with feral species.
I reiterate the difficulty of "dumping" a self supporting population of
Rainbows in an area of greatest threat ie., our "clean" streams that are
remote from settlement.
I argue that the threat of disease can be combated with a well designed
quarantine system.
Based on the arguments above I am in favour of a well regulated and
controlled importation of PNG rainbowfish into the Australian wholesale
system.
Regards,
Barry.