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Re: NFC: endangered species



"R.J. Rogers" wrote:
> 
> I would like to know if anyone in the NFC is keeping and breeding any
> endangerd species. I would think that would be a major goal of the
> organization since these species need all the help they can get and we all
> know how useless the Endangered Species Act is when it comes to bringing
> these species back from the brink. How many species has the government
> saved??? What a joke this program is. These fish belong in hobbyist tanks
> where they will get TLC and not trample on private property rights. The NFC
> has its head on straight with this issue when it says the constitutional
> right of landowners are the REAL endangered species!!! it burns me up to
> think the feds are spending milliions of $$ to save fish when we can do it
> for free!

The ESA is very explicit in prohibiting ownership, transfer, breeding or any
other thing that might be actually useful. It is purely a full employment
act for the bureaucrats, and they want to be sure no one knows just how
utterly inept they often are.

There are many wonderful folks at the working level (plus a rare arrogant
jerk). The problem is political control of the processes, and public
participation isn't comfortable to the "suits" in Washington City.

The net result is near open warfare, and "Kill the Pupfish" bumper stickers
on pickups all over the southwestern US. To my knowledge, no sincere
hobbyist *ever* got the ranchers that pissed off. It took brutal actions to
protect next year's budget increase, and an utterly compliant and ignorant
press to let that happen.

Bottom line: No one can admit to keeping them or share the knowledge gained
without risking prison. Most of us just don't rank our hobby that important.

Good news: All the "extinct" or endangered pupfish are well and thriving in
the tanks of European hobbyists (until such time as we make another major
treaty mistake and force them to slaughter their stock). Fortunantely, most
*Cyprinodons* haven't made the CITES list, yet, either.

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley,  Fremont CA, USA,  510 494-8679     wright at killi_net

   An open letter challenging the beliefs of "statists" --
   people who tend to view government as the solution to
   every social problem. 
                 http://www.mackinac.org/3555
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