Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

actinic · 08-05-2003, 01:58 PM

The issue of conservation is a VERY important in this day and age. There are conscientious aquarium hobbyists, retailers, distributors and collectors out there but IMHO they are few and far in between.

To generalize, we are a consumer society and like to get "our bang for the buck"and what we want when we want, but also raise the question, "at what cost?"

Like it or not, the bottom line is the all mighty $$$. Years ago captive raised animals were anywhere from 10-200% more expensive than wild caught/collected. Today I've seen captive raised on par to 50% more.

I know of at least 4 reputable North American companies that captive raise/farm fish and coral. They are, when they get to the retail level, are more expensive but IMHO are very well worth the extra $$$ as the animals themselves do not undergo improper handling or lengthy waits during shipping. Other avenues of obtaining captive raised fish and coral frags are through aquarium clubs and fellow hobbyists.

The difficulty today with “farming” marine animals, for the most part, is the complex egg to larval stage of development. There are a handful of species of fish that hobbyists can “captive” raise. Most corals, hard and soft, can be cultured by asexual and physical means.

Think of the freshwater fish in general. Many of the species that are seen in the retail shops are farmed in the orient. Cheap labour, resources, ease of rearing and “pack rate*” make it to what it is today. Also small sizes are imported for grow out into marketable sizes. If the early development of the freshwater hobby were here today, we would be facing the same issues as the marine hobby today.

*amount that can be put into the box and overall weight per box.

I personally am for sharing information of captive rearing and propagation to save what we have in the oceans. It’s a philosophy that has to be spread and it’s not a difficult one. The difficult part is making a positive choice and knowing what going on within the 5 panes of glass.

08-05-2003, 01:58 PM	#27 (permalink)
actinic Crazy Location: Toronto, ON	The issue of conservation is a VERY important in this day and age. There are conscientious aquarium hobbyists, retailers, distributors and collectors out there but IMHO they are few and far in between. To generalize, we are a consumer society and like to get "our bang for the buck"and what we want when we want, but also raise the question, "at what cost?" Like it or not, the bottom line is the all mighty $$$. Years ago captive raised animals were anywhere from 10-200% more expensive than wild caught/collected. Today I've seen captive raised on par to 50% more. I know of at least 4 reputable North American companies that captive raise/farm fish and coral. They are, when they get to the retail level, are more expensive but IMHO are very well worth the extra $$$ as the animals themselves do not undergo improper handling or lengthy waits during shipping. Other avenues of obtaining captive raised fish and coral frags are through aquarium clubs and fellow hobbyists. The difficulty today with “farming” marine animals, for the most part, is the complex egg to larval stage of development. There are a handful of species of fish that hobbyists can “captive” raise. Most corals, hard and soft, can be cultured by asexual and physical means. Think of the freshwater fish in general. Many of the species that are seen in the retail shops are farmed in the orient. Cheap labour, resources, ease of rearing and “pack rate” make it to what it is today. Also small sizes are imported for grow out into marketable sizes. If the early development of the freshwater hobby were here today, we would be facing the same issues as the marine hobby today. amount that can be put into the box and overall weight per box. I personally am for sharing information of captive rearing and propagation to save what we have in the oceans. It’s a philosophy that has to be spread and it’s not a difficult one. The difficult part is making a positive choice and knowing what going on within the 5 panes of glass. __________________ Drugs lead nowhere...but it's the scenic route