Caught smuggling Red Arowanas

[patatmblife]

How? They have been banned for over 30 years and are still endangered. Please explain how making a fish available in the US is going to help the wild population?

I wasn't referring to protecting the wild population specifically. I just meant that these fish have a better chance of not becoming extinct.

Maybe a deal can be made with the legal breeders to release some back in the wild to help preserve the wild population but of course not to the extent they will be taken off the endangered species list or else how else can they sell them for so much profit.

 

[Pomatomus]

I wasn't referring to protecting the wild population specifically. I just meant that these fish have a better chance of not becoming extinct.

Maybe a deal can be made with the legal breeders to release some back in the wild to help preserve the wild population but of course not to the extent they will be taken off the endangered species list or else how else can they sell them for so much profit.

Poaching would become more lucrative.

 

[patatmblife]

Whats the point in protecting endangered tigers when I am not allowed to own one and admire it?

This might sound like a stupid question but why are non-endangered tigers legal to own in the first place? This is an unfair comparison since Tigers are dangerous and Arowanas aren't.

What I was trying to say is that protecting animals like pandas makes sense since there are museums you can take your kids and grand kids to to admire them. But as I understand there are no legal way of observing these fish in the US so why put so much effort to help preserve the species (if it even does help).

 

[patatmblife]

Poaching would become more lucrative.

I was suggesting making farm bred arowanas legal not the wild ones.

 

[Victor-Falko]

6 mounths of house arrest sux and he has to do 200 community hours plus the 7000 something fine!

 

[Bderick67]

Poaching would become more lucrative.

This is exactly right, you open up the market and increase demand. Wild populations will suffer.

Perserving a species means doing it with wild populations not in peoples aquariums

 

[Pomatomus]

I was suggesting making farm bred arowanas legal not the wild ones.

Poaching, by definition, is illegal. But there are people who would find a free fish and sell it for cash in a heartbeat.

 

[patatmblife]

Perserving a species means doing it with wild populations not in peoples aquariums

Ok sorry, I guess fancy goldfish are extinct.

 

[Bderick67]

Ok sorry, I guess fancy goldfish are extinct.

Please expand on this, or is it just sarcasm?

 

[patatmblife]

Please expand on this, or is it just sarcasm?

Not much to say really. I think we have different views on what is "preserving a species". My view is that even if Aros are gone from the wild but still bred in captivity then the species is still preserved. You might disagree and that is fine.