FishNet Explore 97: Team Memebers (Note: Very long text)

[William Vannerson <William_Vannerson@ama-assn.org>]

Team Members

Heiko Bleher, Team Leader

Heiko was born in October 18, 1944 in a bunker while
Churchill destroyed Frankfurt/Main completely, as the fourth
and last child of Amanda Flora Hilda Bleher, daughter of Adolf
Kiel, the famous "Father of Water Plants" who initiated the
modern aquaristic and had established the world's largest
plant and ornamental fish farm by the turn of the last century
in Frankfurt (1900). Adventurous Amanda traveled around the
world in those early days and collected fishes and plants to
bring them back to Frankfurt. She was the first woman to ride
a Harley Davidson bikes, was a 148 time winner in the
European Motto-Cross car races (before all men), has won
championships in tennis, table tennis (world's vice champion),
skates and ice skates, and was the first woman to fly an
aircraft without an engine...

Amanda Bleher followed in her father's footsteps and Heiko
followed in his mother's. At the age of 4 he traveled with his
mother to Africa and at age 6, throughout Europe. When he
was 7, his mother took him, his elder brother and sisters with
her on an incredible exploration trip through the "green hell",
the deepest jungle of South America (or the world). She
penetrated to areas of unknown Indian tribes, who had killed
and eaten 4 missionaries shortly before, and lived with them
for over 6 months, sampling over 60 new aquatic plant
species and countless fishes, as well as many other animals.
Here in Mato Grosso, at age 8, Heiko learned how to live as
the Indians do, collecting fishes and plants and how to swim,
live and eat the food he collects himself, as do the "wild"
untouched natives. Here, in this jungle, Heiko learned about
ornamental fishes, their life and behavior, and about the
unbelievable variety to be found.

His mother's return to civilization with her four children made
headlines in newspapers around the world - and she only
returned to Germany for her children to finish school. In 1959
she decided to settle in Brazil for good. Heiko helped to build
a water plants nursery and fish breeding establishment in the
midst of a piece of the jungle near Rio. By 1962, Heiko moved
to the US to learn more about fishes by attending the
University of Florida in Tampa, and studying at night. He took
courses in ichthyology, biology, limnology, oceanography,
parasitology and many others. During the day he worked at
Elsberry's Fish Farm and later at Gulf Fish Farm. In 1964 he
returned to Rio to open Aquarium Rio and start to do his own
collection in Brazil - first opening several compounds in the
interior, and later more in other parts of South America. It was
in 1964 that he discovered his first new species, that was
eventually named after him - Hemigrammus bleheri, the
Rummy-Head Tetra, one of the most widely-sold aquarium
fishes today. He also discovered his first new strain of discus,
and many other new species.

In the following years, Heiko explored into many new,
uncollected areas, and by 1967 he transferred his company
Aquarium Rio to Frankfurt, Germany, returning monthly to
Brazil and South America to collect fishes.

Through the years, Heiko has penetrated jungles (mostly
alone and seldom with company) in Colombia, Peru and
Paraguay as well as into Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador,
Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. To the Amazon area alone, he
travels almost 10 times per year. In the 70s he expanded his
operations to include Africa, Asia and Oceania (Australia,
New Guinea, etc.).

He began to give lectures around the world, made his first TV
film - "The World of Aquarium Fishes," and made many TV
appearances in many different countries. His first Discus
book was published in 1982 (and has already been printed 10
times), and has been published in magazines around the
globe. In 1983 his first motion-picture film "The Wimpel
Piranha" was made, followed by films in New Guinea,
Australia, Central America and Brazil for a total of 8 films.
>From his base in Frankfurt, his companies supplied most of
the wholesalers world-wide with many new species, including
various forms of Discus, and this is still the case today.

Approximately 3,000 aquarium fish species have been
discovered (or recovered) by Heiko since the early 60s,
including such fishes as Melanotaenia boesemani, M.
lacustrus and M. preacox (probably one of the most sold
aquarium fish at this time), Pterophyllum altum, Steatocranus
bleheri and Channa bleheri. Also, most of the rare
L-numbered Loricariid fishes, several new Corydoras species
countless tetras, many dwarf cichlids from West Africa to
South America, knife fishes and flounders can be attributed to
Heiko's explorations. One of his best-know discoveries is the
first freshwater sawfish ever found in a remote lake in northern
Australia.

Heiko has been elected Man of the Year in England (1993)
and holds many other titles as well. He has had meetings
with presidents, kings, ambassadors and senators, but these
have never impressed him very much. He is most happy and
relaxed when he is in the deep jungle, away from everything,
and has just moved to Italy in a small "paradise" of his own
surrounded by "wild" animals such as snakes, spiders,
lizards, frogs and naturally-ocurring fishes.

In 1962 he created the quarterly magazine "aqua geographia,
Life Above and Below Water", a unique publication dedicated
to virgin and bizarre habitats, expeditions to new, uncharted
places, endangered species, biology, herpetology, botany,
myths and aquatic legends, the wonderful world of water, and
much more. The magazine is covered with over 900 colour
photographs in each issue, and today is published in Italy,
translated into five languages and sent all over the world.
Heiko remains as it's Chief Editor, and manages as well the
"Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology, aqua",
established world-wide. He still finds time to write hundreds of
articles and is working on a gigantic book for Fulcro s.a.s. in
Italy about all freshwater and brackishwater fishes.

His lectures take him to the five continents each year and he
is invited to judge fishes (mostly Discus) in exhibitions
world-wide. He also collaborated and organized the first
International Discus Show and Exhibition in 1986 in Tokyo,
coordinated the first three Aquarama Exhibition and
Conferences held biannually in Singapore and many, many
more.

His life is dedicated to fishes - perhaps more than his mother
or grandfather or any other person living or dead.... Mr. Fish.


Paola Pierucci, Fisheries Biologist

Paola was born in Milan, Italy on August 13, 1961. Her
parents owned one of the oldest petshops in Milan, right in
the center of the city, opening in the late 50s. Paola grew up
taking care of all kinds of animals, both wild and
domesticated, since age 8. 

Besides her "animal background" she learned biology
attending school in Germany, and worked in the huge park
her father had built south of Milan, a piece of Paradise. Over
4,000 different plant species and all kinds of insects, reptiles,
amphibians, etc. can be found there. This unique park is her
home today.

At age 23 she opened her own ornamental fish wholesale
business in her father's place and started to import fishes
from around the world. She has built a beautiful quarantine
station and keeps all imported and bred fishes for at least
three weeks (until they are acclimated) before she sells them,
reducing trouble and losses to a bare minimum.

She has bred many rare and newly collected species of
fishes, some for the very first time.

Paola joined many of Heiko Bleher's expeditions beginning in
the 80s. The first trip was to one of the most remote places in
Zaire (now the Congo again), discovering several new cichlid
species and many other types of fishes. She has penetrated
the unique jungle biotopes in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia
(Sulawesi and Irian Jaya), Malaysia, Cameroon, the Central
African Republic, Guinea, Angola (during the great
massacre), Brazil, Bolivia and many other remote areas. In
many places as the first white woman ever!


John Benn, FishNet Representative

For over twelve years, John Benn has provided expert content
related to aquariums, fish, pets and animals on the
CompuServe on-line service. He has held numerous
adminitrative positions with local, national and international
aquarium orgnizations, and is a world champion breeder of
Siamese Fighting Fish, an experienced keeper of both
wild-caught and tank-raised Discus, and an author of many
aquarium articles. 

John is founder and architect of Alabama's first public
aquarium - the Alabama Shoals Aquarium in Florence,
Alabama. He is a Fellow of the International Betta Congress
and life member of the American Cichlid Association. With
his wife, Jan, he has edited the ACA publication, the Trading
Post for the past five years.

His technical expertise in computer technology and his
experience in the aquarium world provide a unique
combination of expertise to ensure that members can
participate in live conferencing and view digital photography
before, during and after the expedition. John is especially
looking forward to the trip as he spent some of his boyhood in
Venezuela and will enjoy renewing his acquaintance with
South America