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Originally Posted by UnderWorldAquatics
Please re-read my original comment, and then read your opening comment right below it....
thats what Im talking about, I am very well aware of the things going on in this industry as is Saltcreep, you on the other hand, as you have stated, have done some "quick" research and have jumped to conclusions without knowing the whole picture(this is done very frequently on boards such as this). I wouldnt expect you to know everything that goes on in this industry as you are a hobbiest, not dealing with the business end. Being in the business end I make a point of knowing as much as I can about whats going on in this industry, you could say it is detrimental for me to do so.... Instead of jumping into something that you dont have the whole picture of, it would be a good idea to ask someone that does know the whole picture as Saltcreep does, he hasnt done some quick reasearch, he has dedicated a large portion of his life to know what is going on, he is "in the know" Reading a few pages on the internet does not put you in the know. Please dont take offense as I think it is good that hobbiests like you are concerned about the welfare of our beloved marine life, but I think it would be wise to ask someone in the know, before jumping to conclusions... Look at Saltcreeps comments, he knows what he is talking about, Im not saying that you dont, Im saying people are making comments and passing acusations without haveing the whole picture. And Steve, what you said would be a dream come true, especially since the seahorses that are used in TCM have no medicinal value, traditional hokus pokus...
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No offense to him, but Saltcreep is part of the industry. Therefore he may or may not have a biased view. Certainly he makes some good points.
My "quick research" could be referred to in academic communities as a literature synthesis, or secondary research. Certainly it was not as complete as one would like, and in fact is not a synthesis at all, since I only have one source, which as Bev has pointed out may not be particularly reputable. However my source has undoubtedly drawn their data from a wide variety of sources (a synthesis), and has participated in a great deal of field research and theorizing on the trade, something that I doubt any of us have done. As Saltcreep indicates, he is only now beginning to think about this area. You are making a fundamental mistake in assuming that just because someone has spent a lot of time in an area that they are an "expert". As for firsthand knowledge, that makes up a relatively small portion of the "knowledge" available to us. If you look at any academic paper, be it in the area of criminology, political science, psychology, biology or medicine, you will find at the end a great number of references, ie. not firsthand knowledge, simply references to references to references of firsthand knowledge. If research is fancy talk to you, well...
I certainly do not feel that my ten-minute post is worthy of recognition for its carefully researched and cited data. Unfortunately I don't have time to write a paper on the state of seahorses globally at this juncture. My point was that the recognized authority on endangered species globally (the International Union for Conservation of Nature; IUCN) recognizes the rarity of certain seahorse species. Given that the average hobbyist who is buying seahorses couldn't give a damn about what species they have, the stores should attempt to stock solely captive-bred animals, since it is an option in this case. Likewise with animals like clownfish, certain gobies, damsels, angelfishes, etc. I don't ever believe this hobby/industry will be completely free of animals deaths due to poor handling and maintenance practice, but we should at least attempt to use animals that are not at risk.
Agreeing with Saltcreep, if these animals are from a "certified" collector, perhaps located in an area, collecting a species that is not threatened, then we can't complain all that much. But enough concerns over the MAC certification process have been raised in the past. The point is that importation of these animals is relatively needless.