Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re:  Marine Ethics Questions
From: lynx@surrey.amigans.gen.nz (Lynsey Gedye)
Date: 23 Jul 92 12:08:19 GMT-12
Distribution: world
Organization: Prime Line, Wanganui, New Zealand

  I wanted a tropical marine tank.  After snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef 
  off Townsville, Cairns and Port Douglas I was so moved I decided until I could
  buy tank bred fish I wouldn't even start. I now have a coldwater marine, and 
  I've specimans I collected myself. I too have lost a few - others I've kept 
  since day one.

  Those that died I've mostly been able to return to the coast, figuring
  rightly or wrongly, they'll contribute to the food chain, if not the 
  breeding cycle.

  I've managed to breed sea anenomes, and I've taken some of the youngsters
  back to the coast.  I was hoping to do the same with the prawns, but they,
  er, made a contribution to the tank's food chain instead - maybe next season
  I'll have a prawn only tank.

  The ethics question, IMHO, extends into FW as well as M.  Last night on the
  teeve there was a documentary about fish in the Amazon, in particular,
  catching fish for the aquarium trade.  The focus was on Cardinal Tetra
  caught in the Rio Negro.  The system went something like this...

  Expert native fisherman caught hundreds of thousands of tets.  After some
  months a trader came and "bought" the lot, in modules of 1000.  Dumped them
  into plastic vats with some medication slopped in on top.  It was exciting
  watching the discus being grabbed by hand and tossed in.  Discus only had
  enough water to breath in, "if they can swim upright, they can damage them
  selves."  After trading for the stock with coffee, flour, salt and beans,
  the trader headed off with "about a half million dollars worth" to Manaus.

  By the time the fish arrived at the retail customer they'd gone from about
  $2.00 per thousand to $2.00 each.  

  The fish market there was stunning - I'm amazed that any fish arrives here
  alive - they're clearly more robust than I thought.

  I can't say I blame any part of the deal - I didn't like it, but when the
  commentary said the North American market is worth $US7 billion a year
  I began to wonder if I could export sea anenomes =:). $NZ 1.00 = $US 0.56.
  I wouldn't say no to a chunk of $US7 billion.

  The New Scientist magazine, 3 March 1988, there's an article about farming
  conches on algal turf scrubbers. I wonder, is it possible to farm some fish
  in the developing countries. Seems they've all the necessary resources - 
  labour, incentive, and a large, developed market.  If I don't buy wild fish,
  would the hunter turn to other "productive" crops like drugs?

  Could a group of ethical fish keepers form an investment group to establish 
  a farm?  While I believe I can be responsible in not buying a non-tank bred
  fish, can I do something more assertive than simply boycot products?  
  How can I be pro-active and help develop a businessman where once there was
  a hunter/gatherer?

  Ladies and Gentlemen, your opinions please...
  
                                                  . 
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--           lynx@surrey.amigans.gen.nz    lynx@amigans.gen.nz
Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:6116 alt.aquaria:4388 sci.aquaria:1158