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Hatcheries (was: Re: Now Never returned to the wild)
Hi all,
Ya know its a good thing some common sense is still alive and well,
after all the fish at the state run hatcheries come from somewhere I'm
sure, as there was someone somewhere sometime that collected them. Now
it can be stretched to say that these folks are out to destroy the
aquatic life in the downstream runoffs from these facilities. I really
don't believe they or Michael have that in mind. Seems that catching and
maintaining the fish in good, healthy conditions is what must be
considered an exception to the rule. I'm sure there are other qualified
exceptions that might be applied as well, but that will all be decided
by other folks later. We can give some good input and suggestions to the
process, but actually little else in the way of interpretation of some
policy or other. Bout all any one person can really do is follow your
own conscience after you carefully consider the risks. Called risk
management in some circles, doing the right thing in others, but it all
boils down to what's really best in the situation you have. If you
really believe there is negligible risk, and that proceeding with your
plans is the right thing, then as long as the laws are not broken in
your state, who is there to stop you? And why should they, as no one is
superior to anyone else in this forum, since these are all just our own
opinions anyway, not the proclamation of stone written law.
Thing is it is hard to say now what will be learned about the diseases
spread by the water the fish are raised in years from now. I don't see
this a big problem, but I can't foresee the future either. Certainly we
have to engage common sense at this point. After all, some of these fish
were caught in the water the runoff is going back into, right? If so, my
common sense tells me there is not nearly as much risk as fish taken
from water elsewhere and then that potentially contaminated water
running off into the the new watershed.
One way that has been used is quarantine for an extended period of time
before the fish taken from the different water source are allowed to
mingle in the water going to the new watershed. Not a perfect solution,
but a fish vet might suggest better ways in addition to this, such as
testing for known pathogens, sampling the quarantine water on a periodic
basis, and other ways.
Point is, there are ways to do the right thing, to the best of your
understanding and ability to do. It just takes a concerned person to
actually put to action what they come to understand as the right thing
for their situation, after listening to similar and differing points of
view, and learning what fits into their life best for their fish, after
all it is their own heritage that they potentially put at risk, and the
heritage of those friends and neighbors they care about, and future
generations as yet undreamed of. It is upon each persons shoulders to
act responsibly, as they see it to be.
That is true whether there is law, rule, policy or any other guideline
legal, moral, ethical, or even emotional to follow or reject. Folks in
some states pass laws that in the long run will get to be mighty
expensive to enforce, IMO. Very restrictive non movement laws might
eventually cost more in public apathy than the writers intended, but
that is a different reply to a different circumstance than Michael's
question covers, but it is related in that human nature is the key to
sustaining the habitat of aquatic life, just because we have to be the
ones to do it now that we are aware that it is our responsibility to be
good stewards. Backing away from that is the crux of the ills of all
wildlife, be it threatened currently or not. All of us recognize this
fact, or we would not be here to talk about these issues in the first
place. I am just restating the obvious in order to clarify my own
opinion about it.
Eventually if we, as a society in general, allow the current status quo
to continue, based in part in our own greed and unwillingness to do what
is right, much of the wild areas will be gone, either paved over, built
over, plowed up, torn up in clearcuts, or otherwise ill used for the
habitat the aquatic life MUST have. Only an involved public can change
that. And it has to start with the ones that care to DO something about
it.
As far as selling fish once raised, why is that a problem, you do
intend to give a few Fliers out here and there, right? Start with what
you CAN do, IMO. Getting fish into the hands (er, tanks :) of folks so
they will care about the aquatic life is the meat of real education,
cause its in the home, shared with friends and family, and grown to be a
loved part of the person's life. They will involve themselves with doing
something for the things they come to love and care for.
The motto "Once caught never Released" is not at cross purposes with
this, as you have no intention of pouring the fish down the toilet at
the pet shop, I'm quite sure. Sort a waste of good fins that.
Course then again, these are just my plain ol bugger headed opinions,
and that's all.
Herb
PS: BTW Collecting fish to be used in a "hatchery" or "fish farm" is a
big NO NO here, don't know the particulars of the situation there
though. Here you can raise the fish, but they have to come from a
licensed source, who got them from a similar source and so on, back till
the granfathering in of the then existing facilities in the state were
licensed. If they are obtained from documented sources out of state, it
a different thing though, but they must have been legally obtained in
any event, and proof may be required to be shown that they were in fact
legally obtained from the original source. A sho nuff pain, but I can
see their point.
Hemsath, Gay wrote:
>
> As I understand the Motto " Once caught never Released" the only way
> this can be done is if you don't catch the fish you raise but allow the
> to either swim or walk to the pet store or fish pond on their own.
> However maybe you could hatch the eggs in the pet shop's tanks.
>
> Gay
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Moontanman at aol_com [SMTP:Moontanman at aol_com]
> Sent: Saturday, July 11, 1998 8:07 AM
> To: nfc at actwin_com
> Subject: Re: Now Never returned to the wild
>
> While I do concede the need to be concerned about disease
> introductions from
> aquariums and a little reluctantly the once caught never
> released theme for
> native fish. I think we need to put this in perspective,
> Snip
> . Saying all that, I still think that all reasonable means
> should be used to prevent
> release of diseased fish to the wild, if that means once caught
> never
> released, so be it. On the other hand I have a small hatchery I
> am trying to
> make a little money at, I am in a slump right now because of
> unexpected
> weather problems, but I occasionally get it right and have fish
> to sell to pet
> shops and farm ponds. I'm not sure how this policy affects me.
> Any thoughts
> from on high as to how I can grow fish and not be limited in
> where I sell my
> fish?
>
>
>
> Michael
References: