Re: [APD] Otos

[Erin Poythress <anang3 at yahoo_com>]

Someone on this thread asked about whether other FW
fish were caught with cyanide. I don't know about
that, but I do remember hearing that some of the
oddball West African stuff-- ropefishes, I think--
were often captured by kids over there after dumping
detergent in the water. A friend of mine had his 125
angelfish tank "soaped" by a crazy ex and he attests
to what a horrible death this is.

When I still worked in the pet trade, I worked for a
place that sold a lot of that type of stuff-- elephant
noses, polypterus, bizzaro tetras, etc.-- and we
always got those specimens from particular dealers
because the ropefishes from the "regular" wholesaler
often died. We suspected detergent, though I have no
way to verify the claim, unfortunately.

Ethics and the pet trade are tricky (or completely
absent) throughout, it seems. Anyone know why?
Particularly with herps and fish there seems to be
little pressure to support sustainable, humane
practices. Is it because PETA doesn't care about
anything without fur? Is it because it's so hard to
turn a profit in the pet trade that owners-- who
likely all start out as lovers of animals-- turn a
blind eye or become inured to the flaws in the supply
chain that lead to mass, possibly unnecessary death?
Does this have to do with the divergent,
culturally-based value of animal life, since most of
the fish in the trade are collected and farmed nowhere
near here? Does the problem stem from the harsh
conditions and low pay of live collectors? 

(This is my spaghetti-on-the-wall approach, but I
really think about this a lot and would love your
views on the matter.)

Erin
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