RE: George Maier Fund

[Barry Cooper <bjc3 at cornell_edu>]

Gary,

You are right off course here! First, I happen to be a member of the 
scientific community and to have you tell me that I therefore am too full 
of myself to answer a hobbyist is offensive. Even if that comment were not 
intended to include me I still find it offensive.

Second, your comments about Brian Watters not offering the fish he collects 
is absolutely inappropriate and REALLT offensive. There are more Nothos in 
the hobby today as a result of Brian's collecting efforts and generosity 
than all other sources combined. Where do you think all those Nothos with 
collection years 1985 through 2003 have come from. Just because you don't 
see him listing them doesn't mean he doesn't distribute them. He does, 
typically via other hobbyists. I will mention one example, hoping he 
doesn't mind, and that is Bob Morenski. Bob lives within striking distance 
of Brian and visits him periodically, bringing back new fish, which Bob 
offers within the US. This mechanism overcomes the very difficult issue of 
individually shipping fish from Canada into the US. Bob is only one 
example. Even before I first joined Brian on collection trips, he had 
shipped me boxes of fish for distribution at club auctions. I also know 
that Brian has supplied fish to Lenny M. when he was running the N&RSC. 
It's not his fault that we don't have a functional N&RSC to deal with him.

Finally, if Brian chose not to share his fish, it would be his right. All 
of his collection trips (and mine) have been self funded. As it is, 
however, Brian's generosity with his fish is legendary. You owe him a 
public apology!

Barry

At 01:56 PM 7/31/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>  copied text:>>>>These
> graduate student positions already exist and the incumbents are the
> ichthyologists of the future.>>>>>
>
>   The problem with this is in most cases all these people know, is how to
> pickle the fish they find.
>
> <<<<<<<Nevertheless, it would be a good indicator of the philosophy of the
> AKA and
> would win us friends in the scientific community and would pay off in the
> future in good will.>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>   Well I can tell you that I have on several occasions tried to get
> information from the scientific community and got nothing. Seems to me that
> most of them are so full of themselves that to answer a hobbist would be too
> far below them.
>
>  Just one example here every year Brian Waters goes on a collecting trip but
> I have never seen him offer any of them for sale etc.  And Brian is not the
> only one from the scientific community that this applies to.
>
>   So I have to ask, just how does this help the hobby???
>
>   Gary
>
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Barry J. Cooper, Prof. Emeritus, Dept. Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University
Adjunct faculty, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University
Home address: 27505 Riggs Hill Rd., Sweet Home, OR 97386 (bjc3 at cornell_edu)


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