Today many have come to understand the importance of being conservation minded. Hopefully, this realization hasn't come too late. That being said, we at The FISH CONNECTION have a unique opportunity to help separate fact from fiction in this arena of thoughts. Case in point: within the last decade we've seen some wonderful developments in clam and coral propagation for the marine hobby. Many don't know that native people are able to lease ocean space and culture their own specimens for sale. The benefits are many: ease of harvest, consistency of product, etc, very much like growing produce. Still, most of the saltwater fish and corals you see in your local pet store are largely collected from the wild. However, education and global awareness has aided native people in healthy management of these natural resources. The use of destructive cyanide in squirt-bottles to catch fish is virtually unheard of and "Hand net caught" isn't even a common term anymore simply because most fish are all net caught using careful procedures.
 

"So what?" you ask. Well, simply put, these are all very good things, even the collection of wild specimens. Here's why: These fish and inverts are a renewable resource. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply passing ugly rumors to the demise of their own cause. If a native can provide for his family by catching fish for the aquarium trade using healthy, sustainable techniques, and supplement his livelihood with aquaculture, everyone wins including the environment. Simliar awareness is beginning to develop in South America and around the world where indigenous people collect various freshwater fish and herptiles that supply our hobby.

 

Here's where The FISH CONNECTION comes in. There is perhaps no group of people more conservation minded than avid aquarists and herpetologists. We believe our hobby is not only NOT DESTRUCTIVE to our world, but quite the contrary: it is a valuable tool for education and awareness. With this in mind, we've begun initial development of our rainforest and reef expeditions. Our clients will see and experience these wild environments for themselves, learn about the "front end" of their hobby and the people who operate the trade, have the opportunity to follow their own specimens from capture all the way to their own aquariums, and hopefully talk freely about their experience to others. This open sharing of information has the potential to further the positive developments in our hobby and minimize the chance of our passion being strangled by ignorant, oppressive legislation.

Email us if you wish to be kept up to date about either a Rainforest Expedition or a Reef Expedition.