Re: [Killietalk] Species conservation (was N&RSC - a different perspective)

["Robert Goldstein" <rgoldstein at rjgaCarolina_com>]

I have to disagree with Brian Watters about Breeders Award Programs, in 
certain circumstances. If applied to killifish only, Brian is likely 
correct. But applied to fish clubs in general, it can be a great program or 
a terrible one. For example, the original idea behind the program was to 
limit the number of species in a fish family for which one could earn 
points. The purpose was to get people to expand their horizons and force 
them to try fishes of many families and breeding modes, so they would aim to 
become widely experienced like Rosario LaCorte or Sallie Boggs. The 
association of aquarium societies (when it existed or was active) encourage 
that kind of BAP, and many people vied to become the top breeder of the year 
among all the clubs. Usually the Canadians won hands down.  Some clubs 
continue to do that and generate fine aquarists. But many other clubs allow 
points for any species without regard to limits, and so we have people 
getting points for 35 kinds of livebearers or 100 kinds of cichlids. Instead 
of making them better aquarists, those programs aggravate narrow 
specialization. I think that's what Brian was referring to, and in that case 
I agree. As much as I enjoy killies, doing the same thing over and over 
isn't my bag with any fish group. Doing something new is always more 
.    - Bob Goldstein
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brian Watters" <bwatters at shaw_ca>
To: "killifish discussion list" <killietalk at aka_org>
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 2:48 PM
Subject: Re: [Killietalk] Species conservation (was N&RSC - a different 
perspective)


> Lee Harper wrote:
>
>>
>> Hear, hear. We probably should divert the effort wasted on trying
>> to import
>> more fish to maintaining what we already have. How do we do that,
>> you may ask?
>> Well, we have several programs that are already in place - KCC,
>> KAP, KEY, KHY,
>> Publications, etc. All these programs are designed to encourage
>> breeding fish either by recognition, organization or information.
>>
>
> I agree, but simply breeding fish will not necessarily preserve species in
> the hobby. There is presently no program in the AKA that recognizes
> long-term maintenance of a species or a particular population and that is
> what is really important.
>
> Breeders award type programs actually work counter to one of the main 
> stated
> aims of the AKA, i.e. conservation. Such programs encourage hobbyists to
> breed a species as quickly as possible, garner the points for that
> "achievement", and then quickly move on to another species. In many cases,
> the previously bred species falls by the wayside to make room for the next
> one. And so on.....
>
> In my opinion, maintaining a species for 20 years (or even 10 years)
> constitutes a far more worthy effort than breeding 30 species in 2 years, 
> in
> order to accumulate breeders award points, and then having few, if any, of
> those species in one's fish room at the end of the two years. One could
> argue that the off-spring would have been passed on to other hobbyists but
> we all know how that goes, especially if the recipients are also acquiring
> them for short-term maintenance. Again in my opinion, the mark of a truly
> accomplished and capable breeder is not someone who can breed a gazillion
> different species but, rather, someone who can maintain a particular
> species, especially a rare and difficult one, through many generations 
> over
> a relatively long period of time.
>
> The KCC program is, obviously, designed to encourage long-term maintenance
> and is one of the most valuable programs in the AKA. However, it does not
> provide the sort of recognition that many hobbyists seem to crave.
> ___________________________
> Brian Watters
> 6141 Parkwood Drive
> Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6A2
> Canada
> Ph: (250) 760-0564
> E-mail: bwatters at shaw_ca
>
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