"It is funny, since the ponds of Lake Inle, home to the celestichys (possibly danio) margaritatus, is NOT in South America or the Amazon river system. Its a bunch of small puddles in Asia. Apples and Oranges here, COL. "
It's not quite as funny as you envisioned, although it is totally applicable [read: what are you talking about]?
The underlying factor here is the ephemerality of certain habitats that are easily exploited by the trade. The only differences between Lake Inle "vernal" pools and say, the charcas of the great south american floodplains are water parameters. And besides, the thrust of the argument was that human harvesting activities--trade related, of course CAN cause population decline. So, might I ask, exactly what apples and what oranges do you speak of?
"Good thing they are breeding in captivity..."
Not to any great commercial extent-at least not yet. But who the hell cares, because IBAMA-esque institutions are not out to save the fish in the trade-they want to keep them circulating in the wild.
EDIT:
