Re: Conservation

["Tim Addis" <timaddis at killifish_force9.co.uk>]

>I think Roger is on the right track with his idea to pay the natives to
collect fish.  I'd be >willing to buy some I know!  I'd probably also be
willing to put some money into a >pot to buy the habitat.

I think paying natives to collect fish is already common practice in West
Africa anyway. Particularly in Nigeria, Sierra Leone & Liberia. The sp.
caught are fairly safe in there natural habitat due to large distribution
areas & adequate natural supplies to sustain commercial collections. I refer
to gardneri, filamentosum, flavipinnis, lampeyes etc.

I think the form of cheque book conservation intimated in this snip is not a
good idea. We do not yet have a complete picture of sp. in West Africa (as
an example) & native collectors would strip areas for money. My concern
would be that some sp. hold a very small area of distribution & may be
completely destroyed in there natural habitat by such collection methods.
Cameroon has, in recent years, opened up to commercial fish collecting & I'm
sure these have been imported into the USA as well as the UK. Everyone wants
wild fish I believe & this will create a demand. Exporters will put pressure
on fishermen to collect more fish from certain areas.
Roads are being opened up into new areas as countries explore there
resources which opens up unexplored areas to commercial fishermen.

Buying a habitat I think is somewhat impractical & unworkable.

The native population are important & need our help in many areas but this
can be done with donations to third world charities & not through
encouraging fishermen to strip there country of native fish populations.

    Tim

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