58 replies to this topic

[bushie]

according to abc radio, the fish in question is now being named as a pearl cichlid, and until I looked it up I didn`t even realize that was another name for the braziliensis.

it has now been found in quantities in the bennet brook creek system and the altone park golf course lake.
as of this friday they intend on poisoning and using explosives to to rid the said waterways before they travel further.(probably too late in my opinion.)

more importantly is that fact that they were accusing fish hobbyists of dumping fish in waterways and creating the problems.
this is almost certain to be true, but, it was put across as this was a huge problem with aquarists dumping fish willy nilly everywhere and this was just one case of where a problem has arisen from it.
in my opinion, 99.9% of aquarists dealing with anything other than goldfish are extremely responsible people, other wise they would not invest their hard earned coin on them and their setups.

my point is we all as individuals, and the aquarium societies of w.a. need to speak up and talk to the authorities regarding this matter and offer our help where possible to help deal with this threat, which threatens not only our local waterways but also our imports of aquarium fish for the future and the sooner we do this the better.

therefore, on any matter relating to the trapping and eradication or any other circumstance where I could be of any possible help with this matter please count me in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is seriously a problem that could effect us all with the future of our hobby.

[Den]

Hi All

I made my expedition research intensions as a basic gesture to spark perhaps something greater from the PCS commitee that appeared to not be taking any action(although I know they are a great group of people that do lots of great things for the hobby), however it seems no initiative has still been undertaken from the top on this matter, unless they haven't told us? Please foregive me if I am wrong, but it appears our hobby is being attacked with no leading voice representing or defending us.

Bushie can I ask who exactly was making these ridiculous accusations (an ABC reporter or someone else interviewed) can I also ask wether the the PCS committee intends to do anything to defend our hobby against this unfounded negative media onslaught?.

Bushie can you please get me names as I will persue and defend this matter unless the PCS already intend to do this, as the legitmate PCS president's voice would be the best to do this.

Cheers
Den

[bushie]

den,
it was on the abc radio news 720 am.(no,am does not stand for morning, and I would not be up at that time on a sunday )
I do not recall the exact words used as I only briefly heard it whilst driving, so please don`t quote me on exact quotes from others.
but the reporter seem to point to hobbyists as the problem and then there was a person from (fisheries?) or some similar government dept. making statements about the fact of people dumping fish in waterways everywhere and asking people not to.
Quote:
"it is better to put them in the freezer rather than dump them in the river."

sorry I can`t be of more help den but will try to follow it up myself if possible as I am worried about the consequences of not only this situation with our waterways but also with the bad press affecting those government depts. that deal with imports for us all.

I am not a member of any aquarium society or pcs member in any way so it is not my place to say but I am a little shocked that nothing seems to have swung into action regarding this matter ( too my knowledge).
sorry if I`m speaking out of place.

[wildennis]

here check this out


http://www.abc.net.a.../1665702.htm?wa


might help out

[wildennis]

Found some more usefull info

http://www.wa.alp.or...6/20005854.html

http://www.fish.wa.g.../index.php?0506

[Dr Cucumber]

Hi all,

as I suspected, it appears that fisheries are already undertaking many of the 'investigations' that we have been discussing i.e. length frequency, age determination etc.......you would hope so really.

I am also not surprised that they are moving as quickly and publically as they can to erradicate the species. Isn't it interesting though that there is still no mention of other feral species which have probably done more damage than a cichlid population ever will. Our friends the Gambusia and trout are, at this stage, a far more serious problem.

Unfortunately, it also seems that we will now have little opportunity to do anything along the lines we have talked about. I aslo suspect that fisheries will decline any offer for help - they will probably point the finger and say that the last thing they want is cichlid enthusiasts getting in the way. This is unfortunatly, the attitude of many gov and scientific bodies. I cant say that I subscribe to this line of thought. The more public involvement / education the better.

Nevertheless, I still believe there should be some sort of official response from the aquarium society (I'm sure 6PR would talk to the president of the PCS). However, the media will grill you - I dont think we should deny that aquarists are responsible (because they are - even if it is only a very small majority of peanuts), but we should take the stance of asking for more education resources i.e. gov money for posters, pamphlets etc... This is a minimum responsibility of the government ....at the end of the day, they allowed the import of these species, so it is their mess to clean up...........

[anchar]

I agree with others that the PCS heirachy shoul publically respond to the situation....perhaps even have a special meeting and invite the media and relevant authorities to attend.

Andrea

[Matthew]

I can't really help out with all this sorry, but this

Found some more usefull info

http://www.wa.alp.or...6/20005854.html
http://www.fish.wa.g.../index.php?0506

is reinforced in todays "The West Australian" page 5.

[saudukar]

What I want to know is why isnt this much support put into eradicating feral carp?

They are a much more widespread problem this cichlids are?

Or is this one of those fight the battles you can win things?

Obviously these fish need t be destroyed but seriously are they doing any more harm in these areas then the carp are?

[Dave76]

I think it might also be a case of because they have gotten to this relatively early, the spread isn't all that great yet, so eliminating them is a viable option.

[bushie]

rang 720 abc today to talk about "pearl cichlids" and the concerns of aquarists in perth as they were talking about the subject.
did not get through to the announcer (bernadette?) but put across my concerns regarding the matter and about the responsibilities of not only the fish keeper( as I believe that almost all are relatively well informed and responsible) but of the government and aquarium industries to provide some form of education regarding the release of any fish or animal into the environment.

my point is that we could lose many of our imports due to the idiotic actions of a few, or more than likely one.
we may have one or two fish from one idiot causing us all to suffer.

if they do stop some of our imports i will be very $%%^ off.
after all, with all the imigrants that come to australia every year, if you get one idiot that starts trouble or blows something up, does that mean we stop all immigration? or ban one nationality? or religion?

dr cucumber: I refer to your previous post
Quote:but we should take the stance of asking for more education resources i.e. gov money for posters, pamphlets etc... This is a minimum responsibility of the government ....at the end of the day, they allowed the import of these species, so it is their mess to clean up...........

I`m sorry mate but I disagree strongly with your comment.
I believe it is everyones best interest not to attack the government over this issue, it was not their fault, nor is it their mess to clean up.
although now they don`t have the choice.

they allowed fish to be brought in to this state because we the hobbyist lobbied and pushed and perserveered to get them to allow us the privilage of keeping many wonderful, different and beautiful fish.
if we turn around and slam this in their face it will only make it harder for us in the future.

I do agree with education. I think someone stated before that their used to be printing on the bags you recieved from pet shops etc.
if this adds an extra 5c per fish you purchase from aquarium stores then I`m all for it.
if it costs us an extra ten cents for a packet of frozen blood worms so that they can get a poster printed up on the wall explaining the damage to the environment and that unwanted fish MUST be returned to an aquarium store or passed on to a responsible fish keeper...so be it.

why not have a web address for this site so that unwanted fish can be given to those that will take care of them.

aquarium stores should be made to take any fish that are unwanted.
if they don`t want to sell them or have no room, then dispose of them correctly.
if the government wishes to add to this or involve itself in any other form of education then great.

but ultimately we as the aquarists and the aquarium shops are ultimately responsible.
please don`t forget that.

[topline]

Hi

I have just gotten off the phone with KAREN VALENTI, a journalist at the community newspaper group. She has been involved in running the stories for The Eastern Suburbs Reporter.

She would really like to hear from the PCS regarding this issue in order to write another article from a differant perspective and perhaps include additional photographs of members tanks etc.

Her phone number is 9231 5200.

I have said that someone from the PCS would be in touch with her. Hope I havn't overstepped the mark...

Cheers
Brian

[giz]

Personally, I think that this is one of the jobs of the society and the president... afterall what were they elected for?. This little fiasco should never have gotten this far without some back up from the society. A statement should have been issued from the society the moment it hit the newspapers. The longer it goes without a reply from the relevant organisations... the worse it is for hobbiests.

Giz

[Cicolid]

From past experience, sometimes the people elected are just not letter writers. The President alone should not be soley relied on to take this matter on board.. After all it is a voluntary position..
Keep up the good work Mr President, & to those critics, give him a break.

In todays age of emails etc surely the committe as a whole could come up with someone who is capable & prepared to write a letter contacting the papers &/or TV

Judging by the postings on PCS there are several people who could fill that role..

So come on the PCS members make some phone calls, send some emails,
get something organised...PLEASE

If nothing else comes out of this it will at least give the PCS some publicity..

That's my two-penneth..for what it's worth..
Cheers
Col

[anchar]

Have to agree with giz on this one. The President is the main spokesman for the PCS. IF he is not a letter writer/public speaker, then he should liase with someone on the committee or within the club that is. This situation has been of public knowledge for a month now and no-one from the club has made an official statement to the press. I'm sure it looks like the PCS is taking an nonchalent stand on this.

I know these committee members volunteer for their positions and am well aware of the fact that there is a shortage of people willing to sit on the committee, but if you are putting your hand up, then be pro-active. This is a big issue and it needs attention.

Keep up the good work Mr President, & to those critics, give him a break.

What work has the President and/or committee had to do in the last few months? This is not about who is going to buy sausages for a BBQ or who has run around picking up donations for an auction....this is important.

I am not trying to belittle anyone here (and before you all say "why don't you put your money where your mouth is and volunteer?"....I don't have the time otherwise I would). If you are going to take up a position in the club, then fulfil your obligations. I wouldn't volunteer my time if I wasn't prepared to do the job properly. There are many people here who don't have the time to be a full time committee member, but are prepared to lend a hand from time to time.

Anyway, feel free to flame away...I'm sure someone will :roll:

Andrea

[topline]

Hi

I didn't want to start an argument on "who should do what". The journalist was unaware of the existance of the PCS. I just hope that a member can give her a ring tomorrow, even if its just to set up a meeting with "persons still to be decided" so that the views of the PCS and fishkeepers in general can get equal "airplay".

I'd be happy to talk with her further but

1. I am not a member ... yet...
2. I have no expert knowledge in the field and
3. I am a photographer for the same group of newspapers ( a differant area) and my opinions would not carry as much weight as one of the committee members of the club.

Thanks
Brian

[anchar]

In fact, I will put my money where my mouth is and write a letter tonight. I will post it here for all to see and the appropriate people can use/modify/whatever then submit it.

I will leave all the pm flamers with this thought...

"Better not to have a PCS at all than to have one that appears non-committed"

Andrea

[anchar]

Ok this took about 10 mins...

To Whom It May Concern

I am writing this letter on behalf of the PCS (Perth Cichlid Society) committee and members who are concerned about the recent discovery of Geophagus brasiliensis (Pearl cichlid) in the Bennett Brook and surrounding area. Most of us are familiar with this species and many have kept it at some time in our aquariums, so we were shocked to find that some irresponsible person has deliberately (or otherwise) released this fish into our waters. Being a tropical species, many found it incredulous that this fish is able to withstand Perth’s cool winters, however we fully understand the potential for damage that this (and other exotic) species possesses.

Hopefully this is an isolated incident made from ignorance and not a deliberate act. We will continue to educate our members and explain why releasing fish into our waterways and drains is potentially ecologically disastrous. The PCS would like to liaise with the relevant authorities and aquarium shops over this matter. We invite a spokesman to attend a meeting and present the facts to the forum for discussion. It has been suggested that posters explaining the perils would be advantageous, as would warnings printed on fish bags. Perhaps if the shops were persuaded to accept all unwanted fish, they could be properly and humanely disposed of instead of being tipped into a river.

We are thankful that the presence of this fish was detected at an early stage and applaud the quick response that was taken. Thanks to the pro-active work of the departments involved, this species will hopefully be eradicated before any irreparable damage is done.

Feel free to add/edit to it as necessary 8)


Andrea

[Gavin]

Well done Andrea, our concern as hobbiests was conveyed in a way to distance PCS from responsibitity for this act yet shows a willingness to cooperate and a respect for fisheries dept. I don't see any need for improvement.

[Dr Cucumber]

I think the letter is great Merjo; well written and to the point.

In response to Bushie: Yes, fair enough. I could have toned it down a little. I was just venting frustation at the governments willingness to point the finger (at aquarists) when they are responsible for the introduction of several highly destructive feral species; albeit in ignorance of the potential damage they might cause. Yet, not one iota of a mention of this fact in the media..............

Best regards.

Dr Cuc.