Re: Breeding wild-extinct species (was Re: That lazy BOT (was Re:decentwar))

[Frauley Elson <fraulels at videotron_ca>]

Shireen,
I've found showing endangered or extinct in reality (ie, the wild) fish
to kids, to people who drop by, whatever, a very useful eye-opener. Most
feel privileged to see such a thing. What they do with the knowledge is
beyond my realm, but hey, maybe looking at the fish and hearing why it's
gone will bear fruit some day, for another creature.
Gary Elson - Montreal 

Shireen Gonzaga wrote:
> 
> > As we get deep into the winter doldrums and convention starts to
> appear in
> > the mist, it has been traditional, here, to air gripes, ideas,
> proposals
> > and such ....
> 
> OK, let me cause a little trouble, then.
> 
> I've been very interested in why people feel it is important
> to preserve -- in captivity -- a fish species that has gone
> extinct in the wild. What's the point? That species can never
> be returned to the wild since generations of captive breeding
> have made them a different creature compared to their wild
> ancestors -- will they have the smarts to survive? Even if the
> habitat is restored, would it have the right ecological
> requirements to support that fish, or would the reintroduced
> fish be able to support that habitat's ecology?
> 
> Is it done to honor and appreciate a species that took millions
> of years to evolve, only to be wiped out by habitat loss/pollution?
> Is it done because you're fascinated by, or wish to study a
> creature that evolved in a very specialized ecological niche,
> like the desert pupfishes? Or maybe you just want to brag about
> it?  (Hey, I like to brag about the uniqueness of my Endler's
> Livebearers ... :-)
> 
> Or do you think these captive species (many generations of
> captivity, that is, not just a few generations) can be reintroduced
> to their restored habitat?
> 
> I'm just interested in how people feel about this, philosophically.
> Personally, I don't know what to make of it.
> 
> On a related note, for those of you who don't know, JR Shute
> and company at Conservation Fisheries are doing excellent
> work in reintroducing endangered fish to restored habitats.
> Check out their neat website at
> http://www.conservationfisheries.org/
> 
> Just thought I'd stir the mud a bit ....  :-)
> 
> cheers,
>     shireen
> 
> --
> Shireen Gonzaga
> Baltimore
> whimbrel at comcast_net
> 
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