The dark hobby

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I consider that anything that people eat should be farmed, be it beef, chicken, sheep, goat, fish etc.
Don't know about other countries but in India most people eat freshwater fish that are reared in makeshift ponds or biofloc farming, even shrimps.
Hello; I do not have the information at the ready just now but it has been my understanding such "farm raised" fish, shrimp and such are considered to have serious environmental problems of their own.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Krismo962
What we have to realize is ,there's people out there who depend on collecting fish for the aquarium trade to provide for their families ,would you rather have them destroy the rainforest trying to do so or make a living catching a few fish a day?
 
  • Like
Reactions: dan518
I wouldn't presume to tell someone else how to feel about all of this. I decided not to do marine fish for personal ethical reasons a long time ago, though as I understand it some marine fish are now captive bred. When it comes to freshwater fish, it's not so simple as some may think. As in the video below, there is often more than one side to it.

Hello; This point of view will depend on if the fish in question becomes endangered. If the white rhino, elephant and some other animals were not endangered a similar case could be made for folks making a living by harvesting them.
I eat chicken, beef, pork farmed raised catfish and salmon so I would be a hypocrite of some high order to condemn others for using animals to make a living. I suppose it boils down to what each of us can stand.
I even go fishing. I have moved on from catching fish to eat. I now almost always use a fly rod with a single barbless hook and fish for "sport". Catch and release sort of fishing. So I cannot take a noble stance and condemn folks making a living from the hobby.
 
What we have to realize is ,there's people out there who depend on collecting fish for the aquarium trade to provide for their families ,would you rather have them destroy the rainforest trying to do so or make a living catching a few fish a day?
Hello; Good point.
 
Hello; I do not have the information at the ready just now but it has been my understanding such "farm raised" fish, shrimp and such are considered to have serious environmental problems of their own.
I have read that about the fish farming process itself.
 
  • Like
Reactions: skjl47
Hello; I do not have the information at the ready just now but it has been my understanding such "farm raised" fish, shrimp and such are considered to have serious environmental problems of their own.
I know but I consider it to be better than just destroying the ecosystem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Caveden
Marine fish reputable sources are collected ethically and sustainably.

I used to oversee a collection facility. We had greater than 98% survival from net to final destination, no coral was broken, and the Practice was sustainable.

This job also paid locals more than they could have made doing more destructive fishing practices like what they were doing before they became aquarium collectors.

It is not simple, and you do need to buy fish reputable source, but the majority of fish in the trade come from one source which is highly motivated by ethics and sustainability.

The Hawaiian trade was the most studied in the world. Several times science deemed the trade in Hawaii sustainable. Areas blocked from recreational or commercial fishing but open to aquarium fishing saw increase in size, and quantity of fish in those areas.

The hawaii ban is a sad scape goat for a horribly managed fishery. There is no such thing as a fishing license in Hawaii, even for an out of state resident. It’s a joke. Meanwhile shutting down the only scientifically proven sustainable aquarium fishery in the world is a top priority.

I personally know a Hawaiian collector who set up the highest standards in the world for fish export overseas for no reason other than he cares.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dan518
Don't quite know how many agree with me, but imo I consider even eating a wild caught fish unethical nowadays.
Like why eat tuna if you know that we've significantly reduced their populations.
I consider that anything that people eat should be farmed, be it beef, chicken, sheep, goat, fish etc.
Don't know about other countries but in India most people eat freshwater fish that are reared in makeshift ponds or biofloc farming, even shrimps.
Because they've messed up the wild populations in the rivers or the rivers are so polluted that no fish lives in there.
The coastal areas eat saltwater fish, which is wildcaught and I strongly believe that the govt should regulate it cause they eat or export to China anything that they catch - sharks (I've even seen hammer heads ), Napoleon fish, stingrays , many endangered species (fishermen don't even know that such species are endangered) .
In earlier times people ate everything wildcaught but still the wild populations were healthy and survived.
It's in the recent times that the wild populations are simply being exploited to such an extent that they are disappearing.
I think education and strict regulation is what is required for the benefit of all.

Interesting viewpoint. The problem with suggesting that all human food should come from farming is that many farming practices are incredibly destructive to the natural world. The area in which I lived for many years is an example. I lived on an acreage surrounded by farms, and over the years it was painfully obvious that more and more of these properties were run by businessman/farmers who cared about one thing only: production. Fencerows and fallow patches in fields, which once provided important cover and protection for numerous species of birds and animals, gradually disappeared. Every farmer simply had to cultivate every square inch of his property; no space was allowed to be "wasted" for bush or other natural growth. By the time I moved away from there, my 100 acres...which was not "farmed" in any way beyond the removal of some hay from a few open areas...was surrounded by many square miles of cultivated ground. There was nothing natural about it; if the crop were soybeans or corn or sunflowers, then that was the only species tolerated. Any other living things were simply squeezed out of existence because they didn't pay their way.

I could make the argument that venison...not necessarily deer meat, but literally "the meat of the hunt"...is a far more ethical food than the vapid protein wrapped in plastic in the store. The animals that provide that sad stuff usually lead miserable, short lives with no consideration given to their quality of life...before being led to slaughter and processing. It's difficult to convince me or anyone familiar with the "meat economy" that there is anything ethical about it. But if everyone decided to hunt for their meat, we have a problem: there are simply too many people on the planet to be supported in that fashion. Hunting is, and must continue to be, strictly regulated, with limited seasons and bag limits. It's the only way to maintain the population of game animals at healthy sustainable levels.

The problems faced by the natural world are numerous: habitat destruction, pollution, overharvesting, climate change, you name it. But they almost all have a common root: human over-population. There are simply too damn many people on earth. If more of them were concerned with nature, things might not degrade quite as quickly, but degrade they still would.

Everybody has the "right" to a long, productive life. Everybody "deserves" a chance to have a family. The checks and balances that control the population of other species are counteracted by our ever-increasing technology and medical expertise. Any death is a tragedy, rather than merely a natural conclusion to life. We continue to breed and breed and breed, continuing to overcrowd our little ball of dirt. Something has got to give.
 
The problems faced by the natural world are numerous: habitat destruction, pollution, overharvesting, climate change, you name it. But they almost all have a common root: human over-population. There are simply too damn many people on earth. If more of them were concerned with nature, things might not degrade quite as quickly, but degrade they still would.

Everybody has the "right" to a long, productive life. Everybody "deserves" a chance to have a family. The checks and balances that control the population of other species are counteracted by our ever-increasing technology and medical expertise. Any death is a tragedy, rather than merely a natural conclusion to life. We continue to breed and breed and breed, continuing to overcrowd our little ball of dirt. Something has got to give.

well said mate. whole heartedly agree. There are too many humans
 
  • Like
Reactions: ..puSkar..
MonsterFishKeepers.com