RE: "Extinct" pupfish (longish)-even longer

["Tyrone Genade" <Tgenade at sun_ac.za>]

On 3 Dec 2002 at 2:20, Tranquility Base wrote:

> Over all I'm not against keeping endangered fish in the hobby, I am
> just against the hobby taking too many endangered fish out of the
> wild, where they should be in the first place. And I think species
> maintenence is a great idea, I just would not bet the farm on it, if
> there was any better way.

I'm one of those people who will pay big money for a 
small breeding group of Devil's hole pupfish...

Species maintenance projects (SMP) are a great idea, 
but what for?

The most successful case so far would be the Fp. 
walkeri "Kutunse GH2" initiative but what was the end 
goal? To reintroduce the fish back in the wild? Maybe 
if some-one built a pond in the middle of the 
parkinglot/market... It served to preserve this fish 
for the hobby. That will be the end result of the 
elberti "N'Tui" SMP as well as the S. marginatus SMP. 
(Although it could be possible to reintroduce the 
marginatus to the rice-paddy that was its home if it 
isn't still there as I write this, spawning happily 
away among the rice plants like so many an African 
notho.)

We fool our selves is we think that a SMP will save a 
fish in the wild. It may well save a fish from 
extinction but it will be far gone from the wild. After 
several generations of captive breeding it may well not 
even resemble the wild fish that was its ancestor. Is 
the walkeri GH2 today the same walkeri GH2 we had in 
^insert date of original collection^? If not, have we 
really saved this species/strain/population?

RJ is right, step one in any conservation effort should 
be to preserve the habitat. Step two should be to 
establish multiple captive breeding stocks along the 
lines of large facilities able to maintain large 
stocks. Step 3 would be to introduce the captive bred 
stocks to the trade. Flood the market with cheaper good 
quality fish and force the illegal trader out of 
business.

We seem to want to start at step 3 and try and 
accomplish step 1. It doesn't work that way. Several 
hundred elephants are maintained in zoos around the 
world. Do those zoo populations ensure the survival of 
the species? Not a chance. There isn't 1 large enough 
breeding group in captivity.

(Several South African countries have just got 
permission to sell there stockpiled ivory. Is this 
going to cause a resurgence in poaching? No, the 
smuggler is going to be priced out of the market.)

I'm running the SAA group and am battling to get some 
SMPs going. The goal is not to preserve any species but 
simply to maintain the species in captivity for future 
generations with the goal of leaving the wild fish in 
the wild (if they are still there).

From the internal census we did a few months ago it was 
evident that the most popular fish are also the newer 
ones. The more flashy ones. S. picturatus, magnificus, 
fulminantis, G. zonatus... Yet the most popular species 
was A. nigripinnis. Why? NIG has been with us for a 
long time, it is easily available and easy to maintain. 
It has pleasing colour and behaviour. If you want to 
establish pupfish in the hobby find such a species: 
easy to maintain, looks nice and has interesting 
behaviour. Probably just as important would be to find 
one that isn't critically endangered and isn't illegal 
to keep.

tt4nTyrone Genade
tgenade at sun_ac.za
http://www.tyronegenade.0catch.com
cell#: 084-3354-977

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"Seek your happiness in the Lord."
                  Psalms 37:4


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