Aquarium Conservation Program: Goodeids and poeciliids

Extinct in the Wild Joined: Feb 18, 2007 Posts: 9

Hi all,

I recently volunteered to be the coordinator for livebearers and central american cichlids for the Aquarium Conservation Program.

First of all, what is the Aquarium Conservation Program? I cite from their website (http://acp.buntbarschfreunde.de). Please visit the website for more information.

Quote:

What we are:

We are a network of aquarists, scientists and organisations who have a concern and understanding for the conservation issues facing freshwater fish around the world, and consequently the aquarium hobby.

We want to ensure that a wide spectrum of species and populations of ornamental fish remain available for human care in the future, while being conscious of their conservation status and willing to take it into consideration when practising our hobby and/or profession.

We are seeking cooperation with collectors or importers who are fully respectful of valid regulations, and will not endorse illegal or unethical actions or operations that may be practised in this field.

We see one of our main tasks in breeding and distributing species already in human care which are facing conservation issues according to governments or international regulations, or may be facing such regulations in the future.

We are seeking to educate aquarium hobbyists about these questions, and to cooperate with relevant organisations and institutions to correct the perception of the aquarium hobby being a threat for the conservation status of many species. We seek to achieve this by promoting responsibility of aquarists towards the species currently in their care, and by publicising information about these issues in the relevant media.

In the longer term, we seek to become a partner of institutions and organisations working for the conservation of freshwater fish world-wide, and hope to be able to contribute to conservation projects in the wild in one way or the other.

No one knows which species will be limited in availability tomorrow, and why they will be limited. Therefore it will be necessary to have an overview about the species currently bred in human care that currently have an official conservation status, and those that may possibly fall under such a status in the near future.

To say it in other words: We are enthusiasts who want to retain a good fundament for the aquarium hobby, while also working towards conserving the biodiversity of fishes.

What we are not:

A commercial organisation who wants to become rich when doing this, or a breeder's directory for endangered species.

Vision

A world-wide network of aquarists, clubs and organisations, scientists and scientific institutions, who are keeping and breeding fish, are accepted by governments and relevant institutions and groups, and with special (simple) regulations for exchange of fish bred and kept within the programm.

This

-allows distribution of species in human care, endangered ones as well as not endangered ones, even when imports are restricted by laws and /or regulations
-creates a great species- and genetic pool of fish in human care
-protects species/populations in the wild
-saves species/populations lost in the wild

Mission

To create a community of aquarists and scientists (scientific organisations) that is accepted by governments and official institutions as an example of best practice in the care of fish, with a special focus on endangered or potentially endangered species.

First Targets

Find partners all over the world, for all groups of fish kept and bred in aquaria

Create a species list to have overview about species richness as well as about species in human care that are regularely/rarely/never bred

Create ways to easily exchange fish

Create a certificate “Bred in human care – no collection in the wild”

Create educational tools and awareness about this initiative

The past weeks, the ACP team started to build up a database that allows registered users to post their breeding successes. The beta version of the database (http://acp-database.org) is now public and open for test users upon regsistration on http://acp.buntbarschfreunde.de. Users may also amend the species profiles, add new species and post (hopefully high quality) pictures.

So, why am I posting this here? Enthusiasts breeding livebearers have a long history of interest in fish conservation as independent initiatives for example on this forum have shown. As a coordinator for goodeids and poeciliids, it is important to me to get you involved. I think we can significantly contribute to the success of the project both because of the popularity of livebearers in the hobby and the critical status of some species in the natural habitats.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or other team members in case you have questions and problems. I'm looking forward to collaborating with you and making this initiative a success.

Greetings, Michael Tobler

Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:26 pm

Hi There Michael,
from the sound of what you last wrote it sounds very much like there is a lot of room for collaboration between your organisation and the Fish Ark. As much against popular belief we are not just an organisation that is only looking after the interests of Livebearers and that has only come about as up until recently only the Specialist Livebearer groups world wide were supporting us despite my overtures to other specialist groups so we spent their money on their interests. So once again I decided that it was time for me to put my money where my mouth is. So a couple of years back, over a two year period, I did a series of talks in many places around the world, many in the USA and I collected a tidy sum. This was placed in a bank in the USA as most was in $US then last year we went down to Mexico again and with this we started the second leg of the Fish Ark only this time at Monterrey. Here they would be not only doing Livebearers other than Goodeids but have already a large collection of endangered Cyprinodont and will be doing other species too. Further more as the opportunity presents it's self this will not be the end of the expansion as already we are looking after species from all over North America and it could eventually move on further still if I have my way. So is it not worth seeing if we have any common grounds where we can work together.
A T B
TopCat