Do you care that your hobby is killing ancient environments
- Thread starter Preposterous
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Hard to make the argument that any aspect of the hobby doesn't have profound effects on ecosystems across the world, but whether the weight of those effects tip towards the negative or positive is somewhat harder of a question to answer. People who keep bringing up the wild catching of fish as the cardinal sin of aquarists across the world are missing some major (like slap in the face obvious) fundamental points here. Responsible collection of aquarium fish, be they marine or fresh water in nature serve to allow the local and indigenous communities to gain profit from a healthy ecosystem. Most importantly, this gives local populations the ability to make a good livelihood without having to resort to more environmentally destructive measures as slash and burn farming, illegal mining/logging/poaching etc... In the long run, allowing people to make their livings in ways that run concurrently with the goals of the conservation effort will be a much more effective strategy than asking people to put aside the realities of their daily life for the concerns of outsiders from the industrialized world who assign a higher value to the trees and animals on a given piece of land than its human inhabitants. If anyone cares to dispute these claims, please look into the work that organizations such as the MAC or Project Piaba are doing, as well as reading up on the farming of birdwing butterflies in Indonesia before doing so. As many posters have already brought up, habitat destruction is a much more serious threat to literally any wild caught species than collection could ever amount to be. Beyond that, the aquarium hobby serves as a repository for many species that are believed to be extinct in the wild, and also provides the commercial impetus for much research and development in the captive breeding/rearing of species, information that translates directly towards our ability to re-seed and repopulate ecosystems when/if it comes to that. At the end of the day, everyone is welcome to their opinion, regardless of how idiotic or poorly informed it may be, but if one would like to make bold, broad, sweeping generalizations, they would probably do well to arm their arguments with something a bit less flimsy than wikipedia.
If you're that fired up about saving natural reefs, I'm sure you have our support. We value them too, I expect, just as much as you do. It's a worthwhile cause and (informed) awareness is always a step in the right direction. But if this is the case, please also be consistent and more accurate about the steps you recommend for how action should be taken.
How about boycotting seafood dinners, stop driving cars, and forego heating oil during the winter months? Those measures would have a much greater benefit to help protect our ocean's reef life than asking people to give up keeping marine tanks.
How about boycotting seafood dinners, stop driving cars, and forego heating oil during the winter months? Those measures would have a much greater benefit to help protect our ocean's reef life than asking people to give up keeping marine tanks.
Let us not forget. The one most important benefit of marine tanks in our homes.
What do you think encourages, and calls to the inquisitive minds of our children to ensure we have marine biologists in the future to further look after the ecosystems in nature?
What do you think encourages, and calls to the inquisitive minds of our children to ensure we have marine biologists in the future to further look after the ecosystems in nature?
Why thank you Platy! It's something I give a lot of thought to, especially since so many people are quick to point the finger at the aquarium hobby and blame us for species loss. Guess it's easier than looking in the mirror and figuring out what you can do to make an actual difference.
haha, serious, im gonna dump my whole tank and rock and fish and everything right into boston harbor where it can live naturally
Lads and Ladies. This is what is refered to as a TROLL thread. The OP's intentions were to stir controversy and unrest without using solid evidence. I'll respond, but bear in mind this sort of conduct ought to be trashed and the OP penalized. That sort of behavior tends to lead to the downfall of good forums.
Any true marine reef keeper builds their aquarium as responsibly as posible using real research. Most of us buy aquacultured/tank raised. In fact, one of the main reasons some reef hobbists get into it, is to help frag corals and breed fish so that less are taken from the wild. Even live rock and sand can now be aquacultured. No, not every living organizism in the sea can be tank bred, but thats due in part to our lack of knowledge regarding some ocean inhabitants.
Besides that there are numerous variables that are destroying the wild reefs. Over-fishing (sharks and groupers, ets) alongside high levels of polution are known to be the top causes destroying the reefs. (My resource for this is National Geographic magazine and a documentary shown within the past few months on Discovery - reputable.) Yes, some companies that participate in catching wild reef inhabitants do so in the wrong ways (cyanide), but it is up to the hobbyist to know what they are buying and where it comes from.
If you want to go on a crusade, try telling Japan to stop eating shark fin soup or telling every industrialized country to cease drilling for oil.
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Also Note: Quote from OP's introduce yourself forum post -
09-14-2007, 6:36 PM
Hi pruned fingered fellows, I have been keeping aquariums off and on for about 15 years, all as an adult, both fresh and saltwater. I have never been a member of a fishy forum so looking forward to learn and contribute.
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Did you suddenly have an epiphany and decide only freshwater was environmentally safe? (disregard the average life span of most commonly kept FW fish compared to SW fish, and the fact that the fresh water hobby started out by taking fish from their natural environments, learning about them, and then learning how to sustain them within a closed system too) Did your saltwater endeavors just not pan out and now you find yourself bitter? Sadly, it seems you haven't learned much since 2007. Contributions require responsible research and a certain level of understanding...
Any true marine reef keeper builds their aquarium as responsibly as posible using real research. Most of us buy aquacultured/tank raised. In fact, one of the main reasons some reef hobbists get into it, is to help frag corals and breed fish so that less are taken from the wild. Even live rock and sand can now be aquacultured. No, not every living organizism in the sea can be tank bred, but thats due in part to our lack of knowledge regarding some ocean inhabitants.
Besides that there are numerous variables that are destroying the wild reefs. Over-fishing (sharks and groupers, ets) alongside high levels of polution are known to be the top causes destroying the reefs. (My resource for this is National Geographic magazine and a documentary shown within the past few months on Discovery - reputable.) Yes, some companies that participate in catching wild reef inhabitants do so in the wrong ways (cyanide), but it is up to the hobbyist to know what they are buying and where it comes from.
If you want to go on a crusade, try telling Japan to stop eating shark fin soup or telling every industrialized country to cease drilling for oil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also Note: Quote from OP's introduce yourself forum post -
09-14-2007, 6:36 PM
Hi pruned fingered fellows, I have been keeping aquariums off and on for about 15 years, all as an adult, both fresh and saltwater. I have never been a member of a fishy forum so looking forward to learn and contribute.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you suddenly have an epiphany and decide only freshwater was environmentally safe? (disregard the average life span of most commonly kept FW fish compared to SW fish, and the fact that the fresh water hobby started out by taking fish from their natural environments, learning about them, and then learning how to sustain them within a closed system too) Did your saltwater endeavors just not pan out and now you find yourself bitter? Sadly, it seems you haven't learned much since 2007. Contributions require responsible research and a certain level of understanding...
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