In awe of what I have found

[GaryE]

I've been relaxing in the evenings, picking away at a huge box of fish reading. So far, I've covered ten years of French and American killie magazines, to be exact. And I've barely scratched the surface.

I just spent another morning looking through future reading - hundreds of killifish journals left to me by a good friend. Some go back to the 1970s, and as I put them in boxes so I can access them, I've marked key article subjects on those boxes for when I have time to read them. I have reading material for many months here. American, French, Belgian, German, British and Canadian killifish journals, with each article edited by expert eyes, and carefully researched. If it takes me this much time to sort, imagine how much time went into the learning and writing?

This hobby, no matter what fish we're into, is a treasure trove. On the internet, sometimes people feel they're starting anew, and the hobby is like a mind with dementia. So much more is forgotten than meets the eye. I'm reading articles by scientists, yes. But also articles by truck drivers, factory workers, retail workers, schoolteachers, tradespeople - when smart people put their minds to learning, they produce valuable results. The "citizen science" in the story of our hobby really sets you to thinking.

I can also see my friend also bought a few bundles of reviews somewhere. Probably, they come from a club auctioning off of a late aquarist's stock. There was a killie person for a number of years in a small Quebecois town. I had never heard of him, or realized he existed. All I see is a name on an address sticker. But he was into it up until the early 1980s.

There is an interesting bunch of people in this hobby, scattered all over the world. And many of the ones no longer living did really good work, valuable beyond the hobby.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I agree. We look to the academics for delineation of species, natural ranges, etc. But the practical information on how to keep and breed these fish in captivity comes from regular folks like us.
In the days before the internet, when fish keepers met face to face at club meetings, conventions, shop hops, the information flowed freely. I encourage everyone to go to an ACA convention, or AKA, Livebearer, what ever it may be. Go for the entire weekend, go to the hospitality suite, have a beer with some fellow fish keepers and just listen. You will be amazed at what you hear and learn in two hours.
Why is there not more citizen science?

 

[Back in the fold]

The old way of meeting and talking to people in person has just got to come back . I get very tired of the internet sometimes and reading real printed paper books is a joy . I like what you said about articles edited by expert eyes and carefully researched . That’s something that NEVER should have gone away !