Interesting article from New Scientist.

[Lateral Line]

Interview with Lucia Rapp Py-Daniel is research coordinator in the department of aquatic biology at Brazil's National Institute for Amazonian Research in Manaus. She is a world authority on catfish, in particular armoured catfish, and author of some 300 scientific papers. She has been working in Amazonia since 1977

http/www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg18524901.900

 

[digital_run]

Cool article...That would interesting traveling like she does....There would be soo many types of fish that i would love to see in their natural enviroment...Although i wouldnt ask her for advise on my tank as it seems she doesnt like them all too much...Thanks for the good read LL

 

[CFC]

A bit worrying that she seems to think fish are better off dead and preserved in jars of formalin than alive and swimming i fish tanks

 

[bunjiweb]

agree CFC, sounds a bit freakish to me

Ben

 

[Lateral Line]

It is standard procedure when collecting on scientific expeditions, it is difficult to dissect a live fish, they really don't like it you see. Space is also a problem on expeditions like that, and the logisitics of keeping large numbers of live specimens alive way out in the bush are frightful, I know, I've done it.

On a funded expedition to see what is in the River xyz, you need to sample and get specimens back to the rest of the research team. At least she was trawling with nets and throwing things back alive. A frequent solution to the problems is to fish the river with Rotonone - a poison which kills all the fish in a section of the river. Those corpses that look interesting floating on the surface are put in formalin, the rest rot there.

 

[digital_run]

. A frequent solution to the problems is to fish the river with Rotonone - a poison which kills all the fish in a section of the river. Those corpses that look interesting floating on the surface are put in formalin, the rest rot there.

Ðoesn't exactly sound very good to me ... I'm not going to argue since i have never personally had to do this...But they actually posion a section of the river?...Wouldn't that have serious affects on the local enviroment?

 

[Paul_MTS]

I didn't read it all but after whats said here I thinks that terrible.

i would prefer fish stay un founded rather than to be killed to be cut open and she says she doesn't like fish in tanks

 

[digital_run]

"I never owned fish as a child. I have never had a fish tank. I hate fish tanks. I hate to see living fishes in aquariums. I think it is not fair. I think fishes have to be in their natural water. In a fish tank I feel they are not happy. They are not in their proper place."

I can understand...you could never reproduce the enviroment that alot of wild caught fish come from. Theres just no way and some would see that as imprisoning them...I've had this argument before and its a tough one to beat. But in no way are my fish unhealthy...they are better fed and away from preadtors that they would encounter in the wild. I guess if i could spend all my days traveling to distant places and seeing/studying species that few have seen in the wild then i wouldnt see the point of fish keeping either.