Brooks Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Hi everyone. Some of you might be aware, many of you probably are not. Currently in Hawaii, Robert Wintner (the infamous "Snorkel Bob") is attempting to have a bill passed banning ALL collection of Hawaiian fish for the aquarium industry. This would mean NO fish would be exported from Hawaii. No more Flame Angels, Flame Wrasses, Bandit Angels, and many many more. Not only will this affect the livelihoods of the businesses and families that live off of collection in Hawaii, but also a large portion of our hobby as we know it. There IS something we can do to help, and that is signing a petition. There are 500 signatures needed by SUNDAY NIGHT! If we all pitch in, we can help make a difference in many peoples lives, and also help save a large portion of our beloved hobby as we know it. You can sign here: http://www.petitiono...s/petition.html In Coral Magazine, there is an article about this issue. Found here: http://www.coralmaga...quarium-hunters Just incase you don't have time to read the whole thing, here are a few bits of "information" found throughout the article: "When aquarium fish die (99% within a year), tanks need more fish." "Hawaiian Yellow Tang: collected in the millions, says anti-aquarium activist "Snorkle Bob" Wintner, who took this image." This is just a little bit of the GARBAGE floating around. We can make a difference. If you're for or against this, please post your opinions here. If you signed the petition, feel free to let us know simply by posting "Signed" below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissT Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Done.. Thanks, Brooks. We all do need to remember that collection should be done responsibly, and it does need to be monitored and controlled, but a ban would be a huge hit on the hobby. Tongan liverock is something we can do without... Yellow Tangs and Flame Angels are not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Exactly Misty! Regulations on collections would more than likely be beneficial all around, but a ban would just be an overkill, not to mention a detriment to our hobby and the livelihoods of collectors in Hawaii! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 I am certainly against a perminant ban however I think that a temporary moratorium may be necessary to establish regulation. Right now Hawaii has zero regulation on fish and non-coral collection which is obviously not a good thing. Snails are a issue in a few stories I've heard where some group collected hundreds of thousands in a relatively small area. One of the biggest problems is not normal hobbiests like us here but it's businesses and people that pay out the a** to have a tank stocked constantly without any regard for how they are getting those animals. I've seen tanks even here in Austin that I would assume would have a 100% fish turnover every few months at the least. I met a business owner a few years ago that was spending thousands on monthly restocking for his marine tank. Here's a good example of such a situation: Anyway, I do support this petition. It's knee jerk reactions like this that tend to mess things up just as much as doing nothing at all. But, I definitely support some sort of regulation or at least a d**n impact study for corals, fish, inverts, in Hawaii, or any US waters that fish are taken from for our hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Thanks for posting jestep. I agree with you. The video you posted disgusts me. That couldn't be more than 50 gallons, right? If you look at his 3 videos, he has one from 3 months ago, and one from 3 days ago. There are completely different fish in each video. Heck, he posted two videos in one day, and there is a tang in one that isn't in there in the second. That guy deserves to have his tank taken away from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Fenner's response to Snorkel Bob's article http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/distortions-snorkle-bobs-dark-hobby-commentary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissT Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 that video just made me sick... and btw - Bob Fenner is my hero. Nicest guy you will ever meet, and SUPER smart. He's my straight crush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 that video just made me sick... and btw - Bob Fenner is my hero. Nicest guy you will ever meet, and SUPER smart. He's my straight crush Good one Misti... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemirn Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Adults who choose not to produce children should be granted exemptions from many environmental regulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Adults who choose not to produce children should be granted exemptions from many environmental regulations. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad and Belinda Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Belinda and I signed. 486 signatures as of right now. Only 14 more to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxima Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 498...only need 2 more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 I really appreciate everyone supporting from our club! Great job everyone! We got up to 529 signatures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 The counts up to at least 570. I like Bob Fenner's comments and think the right type of regulation and licensing would benefit our hobby. Jestep, it was sad to hear about the business owner who was paying so much to keep fish in his tank. As some one who has been doing maintenance for over 15 years I would not expect a customer to need to spend more than a thousand to stock a 200 or 300 gal tank with fish. I would also expect most of those fish to live 10 years or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Looks like it is gaining quite a bit more ground: http://blog.aquanerd.com/2010/11/aquarium-fishes-of-hawaii-petition.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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