Species Maintenance
Program
Joseph W. Gardner
1998 Issue # 17
The purpose of a species maintenance program is to assist in the process of preserving any species in the hobby. In a sense, it is similar to the programs which were successful in preserving the whooping crane. Said simply, a person elects to maintain a species because they like that species or because they someone needs to take care of a species and they’ve elected themselves to do that. This is strictly a volunteer program and no pressure is put upon anyone to maintain a species.
I am proposing that the Grand Valley Aquarium Club begin a Species Maintenance Program. Any member could participate by choosing a species they would like to maintain. They could then inform the individual in charge of keeping the records of their choice. It is hoped that a person would commit to keep the species for at least 1 year before ceasing to work with that species. Maintenance points would be awarded per each Hobby Release. A Hobby Release means that the person either sells, gives, trades or auctions off a group of at least 6 fish. While commonly available fish are fine to be maintained, there is no guarantee that it would be possible to sell, give, trade or auction a specific species.
The first spawning of the species kept for maintenance would be eligible for BAP points if it has not already been turned in for points by the aquarist. It may also be possible to have a Maintainer of the Year based upon the number of species being maintained and the number of Hobby Releases. This category could also be included in the determination for the Aquarist of the Year.
I am also hoping that the GVAC Maintenance Program would be able to correspond with other Clubs having Maintenance Programs and seek to develop exchange programs with those other clubs resulting in a greater number of species being maintained. The person doing the record keeping would be able to identify what species are being maintained so that other club members could access those species if they desired.
Well, this is my proposal and I hope that others have a desire to maintain species as a way of keeping various species in the hobby, if not from becoming extinct. I remember a species I purchased at the Livebearer Association Show and Auction here in Grand Rapids a couple of years ago. It was a blue-tailed goodeid. It is my understanding that this species is now extinct in the wild. Hopefully it will not become extinct in the hobby as well. The End