Re: wild-caught fish

[Frauley/Elson <fraulels@minet.ca>]

IVIassacre@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Just curious.....is there any real purpose to keeping wild specimens?  I can
> see if keeping a wild specimen would in some way improve our knowledge of the
> fish, but is this the case? 
Hi, I agree with most of what's been posted too. My two cents' worth
(Okay, 3.5 cents Canadian) is that I will generally choose captive bred
over wild, when there's a legit choice. However, that choice rarely
exists.
It's also often not a 'legit' choice. Take rams: we've fiddled with them
until they scarcely resemble their ancestors. In the hobby, we get
selected fish. I had some wild rams from Colombia that had nowhere near
the day in, day out colour of blues or yellows from the hobby, except
when they displayed. They also had very different behaviour. I used to
wonder how rams survived in the wild. Now I know. I'll take a 'dull',
wild ram any day.
We can improve our knowledge with wild caught fish, however , we have to
remember this is in essence a very private hobby. If we make the effort
to share what we learn, maybe we are something more than just a very odd
predator on wild populations. Then again, maybe we're just a minor
predator that likes to chat about its prey...
- -Gary
>