Please Do Not Collect From Your Local Ocean For Your Reef-tank!

[Buddha]

I cannot believe what I am reading lately. There have been quite a few posts of people off of the california coast collecting animals from the tidepools and thinking they can place it in a tropical reef tank. Not only is this unethical but it is illegal.

Here's one I read that spurned this thread:

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...threadid=29773

[adrianleewelch]

Please dont take this the wrong way !! I mean no offense, and hope to learn something so please feel free to explain this to me. I am wondering what is the difference between someone taking something from the ocean, or paying for someone else to provide the same thing, as long as it is legal ? are there laws prohibiting the taking of the animals that he listed by laypersons ? I dont live near water and buy everything, just wondering what what the difference was, I am all about promoting the hobby in the right way. please explain ?

[adrianleewelch]

OOps I just read all of it, I didnt see the part about the ocean stuff dying SHAME SHAME, I wasnt aware that he didnt research and do what was necessary to insure the best odds of survival. anyway, hope it all lives, or maby should be returned !!

[Mafiaman]

I made the same remarks in the other thread.

Remember boys and girls, Educate , don’t castrate
By flaming a person all you do is drive them away. Accomplishing nothing.
My favorite cartoon says, Now you know-And knowing is half the battle.

[Mafiaman]

And besides we are stocking our tanks with fish harvested with cyanide and coral taken from waters out of U.S. control.
Very few if any LFS stock “only” farmed animals. Although they may do there best. So we are all guilty.

Just because you did not see the cow die does not mean one didn’t to make your hamburger.

[adrianleewelch]

Im with you, hope it didnt sound like i was flaming, I agree about educating, I have learned so much here, what a great place.

[Geoff]

you all are doing fine, good job, lets keep it up.

there are collection laws that should be followed but other than that, as long as your environment matches what you are collecting and understand thier husbandry requirements i do not have a problem with it.

i have read the collection laws for Florida and they are very reasonable. pretty much everything is allowed in limited quantities except most corals. i do not have it bookmarked here. i am sure there is a document like that for the Left coast.

we should all research our critters before we either purchase or collect. a lot of the critters that are offered for sale are very difficult to keep, so it is up to you as consumers to know which ones you should get. this hobby requires a fair amount of research to keep from wasting money or livestock.

G~

[Mafiaman]

Thank you Geoff, That's exactly what I meant by educate.

[JennM]

Originally posted by Mafiaman
And besides we are stocking our tanks with fish harvested with cyanide and coral taken from waters out of U.S. control.
Very few if any LFS stock “only” farmed animals. Although they may do there best. So we are all guilty.

Just because you did not see the cow die does not mean one didn’t to make your hamburger.

This isn't necessarily true. There are many countries where there is no cyanide problem. The ones that DO have a cyanide problem are Indonesia and Phillippines. However not ALL fish collected there are collected with cyanide. Most corals imported into the US are done so under CITES, which is an agreement that importing and exporting countries volunteer into, and it regulates the amounts of animals imported/exported each year.

An educated hobbyist asks questions pertaining to the origins of their dealers' fishes and corals and invertebrates. ONLY through hobbyist demand will the industry really reform itself. As it is most hobbyists don't know/don't care that there are collection and sustainability issues. Many are surprised that the fish arrive by airplane (how do you think they appeared in the LFS?!) The vast majority of hobbyist don't think outside the immediate glass box - isn't that a shame?

Collection for personal use under the appropriate laws is fine, illegal collection is not. And of course, researching any animal before collecting or buying is a must...


I'll get off the soap box now...

Jenn

[grazhopr]

mmmm.....interesting thread. Please, keep it going

[salt creepette]

it all comes down to caring for your animals. if you do, youll care about where they came from how they were collected and you will want to support good practices and methods (and buy from LFS that do as well). And, you will not view them as 'worth $17 cuz that's what I paid for it" or view them as dispensable. In order to own ANY animal, you have to have a tender caring heart and have awe and respect for the animal, not just get into the hobby as a way to kill time and not for the sole purpose of having something pretty to look at or to get attention (who of our friends dont ask us, "You have saltwater fish?! Arent those expensive/hard to keep?")

Ive been guilty of not always asking the origin of my animals and how they were collected. but its threads like these that remind us.

I urge all hobbyists to also boycott animals whose mortality is imminent upon capture, such as certain cleaner wrasses (whose only source of food is parasites and once theyre gone, they starve) or anemones, whose long term survival rate in captivity is in the single digit percentage, and in the wild is immeasurable (besides the fact that wild clownfishes need them to survive, whereas captive kept clowns do not). Also, certain other sensitive corals which have a very low survival rate in captivity because we dont know their exact needs.

on the collecting locally thing (provided they are following all local laws and also collecting ethically), people need to do the same thing as if they were buying from their LFS; research the animal before taking it home, identifying it and knowing its needs and whether it is a good match for their home system.

ok im done

[Casey]

[Spanky]

Originally posted by JennM
Collection for personal use under the appropriate laws is fine, illegal collection is not. And of course, researching any animal before collecting or buying is a must...

This is the real key to it all.

[ruhspolostar]

SCORE WON FOR THE WEST COAST, good to see someone else from cali, and yes I was higly offended by the other thread as well...