refsavers.org:
I think you have your priorities mixed up! The fish you buy at the store have a more survivabilty rate than if you catch them yourself. Not to mention its illegal and I think
if you really want a cool aquarium you need to dive more often and buy a camera.
Too many divers are doing just what you intend and I personaly find it rediculous.
Im going to tell you how I feel about it because I spend Thousands of hours protecting and maintaining reefs and I see what happens when people like you abuse them.
Its not yours to take and it isnt right for you to take advantage of what is there for you to see and enjoy not to destroy. Most of the fish you purchase from the pet shop
are farm raised. I say that with expierience ,since I used to own a tropical fish store.
I hope you will see what you intend to do is wrong and will change your ideals.
If not? then let me asure you that if i ever see you taking any restricted animal that I will see you prosecuted and put in a cage so youll understand what its like to be held captive against your will!
Sam,
Your complete ignorance of what you just said suprises me, considering you claim to be the president of a reef saving society or something like that. First off, you need to know that i did not violate any laws, secondly your comments violate the TOS for this forum. I will then go line for line to expose the fallacies in your statements. While the fish you buy in the store might have a higher survivability rate, you forgot to mention the 9 other fish that were collected with cyanide that died before getting to the store. Collecting your own fish is safer and better for the populations, mainly because a collector gathers one or two specimens and ends up with one or two specimens, while collectors gather 10 for each specimen you see in the store. You probably were not aware that many reef fish are collected from deeper parts of the reef, they are not properly decompressed and are brought up fast, causing their swim bladders to purge out through their mouths, collectors then prick their swim bladders with a pin to deflate them, many survive but frequently they die shortly after or just never eat again. For evidence of this, go to Petco and watch their SW fish, with sunken in bellies.
Yes it is mine to take when allowed by law, if you disagree with that, don't post here; it violates the TOS as defined in the sticky thread at the top of hunting forum.
Very few of the species of SW fish in stores are farm raised. If you understood the basics of the chain of distribution you would know this. I can't believe that you are the president of a website called reefsavers.org and do not know this. How can you possibly function effectively when you are so ill informed about issues so close to the reef. I will inform you of my ext collecting dive, you can be there, i will supply you will a cell phone, my name and pertinent information. Please then call the authorities, it will be nice to see them put you in your place as I finish my dive and pack my booty into my vehicle.
It is ashame that legitimate environmental efforts are minimized by a few fringe whackos armed with false information. Especially when those whackos claim to know information that isn't accurate.
