The Red List, now out :(

[ryan]

I was looking at the 2003 IUCN Red List of threatened species mainly looking at the fish species and I was very sad to see so many on the verge of extinction including many common aquarium species. To my surprise I saw that the beloved Cherry Barb is not doing well at all in the wild as with many other well know fish like the Giant Catfish P. gigas.

http/www.redlist.org/

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Aw that is a shame, I hate that animals go extinct and I always feel responsible. People should try to breed them in aquariums, then there will be some around.

 

[gixer]

Aw that is a shame, I hate that animals go extinct and I always feel responsible. People should try to breed them in aquariums, then there will be some around.

its not the same as wild fish though.

i'm pretty much against wild caught fish to be honest (especially marine) its disgusting the state of coral reefs at the moment.

i wish more marine fish keepers would reaserch the sources what the were buying from

 

[gixer]

A craze for marine aquariums is fuelling a burgeoning trade in marine organisms. Unfortunately, marine species do not live long in a glass tank, and have to be constantly replaced. This leads to even more harvesting of marine species in the wild.

Unknown to many, however, the cute fish swimming in the glass jar was probably netted in a remote reef far away, bagged, packed in a styrofoam box together with other fishes, and flown to pet shops. During the long journey, many would have died.

Coral reefs, often called the rainforests of the seas because of their wealth of marine flora and fauna, are facing a plethora of threats from pollution and sedimentation to coral bleaching, overfishing and tourism. The reefs of South-East Asia are particularly vulnerable. The report warns that uncontrolled capture of reef life for the aquarium trade will compound these problems.

only a handful of countries have put in place regulations to control the collection of marine ornamentals. The report suggests that countries which are major suppliers of reef fish implement harvesting permits, catch quotas, catch size limits and establish protected marine reserves.

not my words but very interesting

 

[ryan]

I just had another look and I was again sadened by the number of common species on that list. There is an awful lot of Barb species on it to.

 

[Sorrell]

I really want a salt tank, but that is my biggest fear that I will be taking fish that were thriving in the wild and putting them into an artificial environment where they are destined to die. I'm not saying that all marine fish will die, there are plenty of expert keepers on this forum, just that I personally have years of research ahead of me before I embark on that.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

Aw that is a shame, I hate that animals go extinct and I always feel responsible. People should try to breed them in aquariums, then there will be some around.

its not the same as wild fish though.
i'm pretty much against wild caught fish to be honest (especially marine) its disgusting the state of coral reefs at the moment.
i wish more marine fish keepers would reaserch the sources what the were buying from

most of the damage to coral reefs is caused by indiscriminate fishermen who use dynamite instead of nets (not to supply the fishkeeping hobby i may add) and global warming seems to have a part in this too.

there has always been a demand for wild caught animals of any kind, can you imagine if there had never been that first paradise fish or the first cardinal tetra?
how bland our hobby would be if all we had were goldfish to keep (i'm gonna get it from goldie lovers now!!)?

almost all the freshwater species on the red list are there because of human interference, ie the building of dams, the introduction of the nile perch into lake victoria, the introduction of the guppy into waterways in asia to control the mosquito population. if the least we can do is try to replace some of the species lost in the wild by breeding them in captivity, then we should all be doing this, some of us already are. (how many of you have bred cherry barbs?)

 

[ryan]

This may interest you AA.

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...em.php?news=110

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

This may interest you AA.

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...em.php?news=110

thanks ryan, i did see that one. there are contradictory stories going around about global warming at the moment, so its quite difficult to know what to believe.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

A craze for marine aquariums is fuelling a burgeoning trade in marine organisms. Unfortunately, marine species do not live long in a glass tank, and have to be constantly replaced. This leads to even more harvesting of marine species in the wild.

it has been proven that most aquarium inhabitants live significantly longer than their wild counterparts, so i'd like to know where you got that (or any) of your quotes gixer.