What can I do that will make a difference?

[Anonymous]

Since I am a consumer, and not involved in the wholesale side of things, it feels like all I can do is try to get my LFS to buy 'responsably', but as you know that feels like hitting my head against a wall. What can I do, besides not participating in this hobby, to make collection practices better?

 

[MaryHM]

Funny you should ask, since I've recently received permission to start something to help get hobbyists more involved. I'm still working on the details, but the main goal of the plan is EDUCATION. Hopefully I'll have some details hammered out in a couple of weeks.

 

[Bill2]

Become educated about your purchase and spend your money wisely.

 

[Anonymous]

Funny you should ask, since I've recently received permission to start something to help get hobbyists more involved. I'm still working on the details, but the main goal of the plan is EDUCATION. Hopefully I'll have some details hammered out in a couple of weeks.

Wonderful! Please shout if there is anything MASNA or I can do to help out!

-Lee Morey

 

[mkirda]

First and foremost is to educate yourself on your purchase(s) before purchase. Make sure that you know the biology and feeding habits of the animals before you get them, then that you are prepared to fulfill them.

If possible, source your animals from either a net-caught supplier or an area where cyanide is not used. I.E. Cook Islands

Order your fish through your store rather than just getting whatever they have in stock, especially if you cannot determine the origin.

Be sure the fish are fat and eating before taking them home.

Support the net-caught movement wherever you can.
One way you can do this is by buying MAC-certified fish.

Donate some money to AMDA's Net fund. They will spearhead the next major push, getting appropriate barrier netting material from Taiwan to the Philippines.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

 

[Anonymous]

First and foremost is to educate yourself on your purchase(s) before purchase. Make sure that you know the biology and feeding habits of the animals before you get them, then that you are prepared to fulfill them.

If possible, source your animals from either a net-caught supplier or an area where cyanide is not used. I.E. Cook Islands

Order your fish through your store rather than just getting whatever they have in stock, especially if you cannot determine the origin.

Be sure the fish are fat and eating before taking them home.

Support the net-caught movement wherever you can.
One way you can do this is by buying MAC-certified fish.
Donate some money to AMDA's Net fund. They will spearhead the next major push, getting appropriate barrier netting material from Taiwan to the Philippines.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

Support the net-caught movement wherever you can.
One way you can do this is by buying MAC-certified fish.

of course, by doing this, you support the cyanide caught movement, as well-and i, personally, highly doubt that supporting mac by buying their 'certified' (no one knows, yet, and still, what they are actually being 'certified' for, other than that they're mac certified :wink: ) fish will really do anything concrete to even slow down the cyanide caught operations

i'd suggest you look into who (retailers)the net caught only folk supply, and buy your livestock through those retailers-at least one of them will tell you who, in your area, carries their fish :wink:

that is the best way you can vote w/your wallet as a purchasing consumer, imho

 

[naesco]

Righty the most effective thing that a reefer can do is refuse to purchase cyanide caught fish which are imported by the tonnes from the Philippines and Indonesia. Soon however, fish from these countries will be under embargo.
Every opportunity you get whether at a LFS or on this board, hammer the necessity of closing down the Phillipine and Indonesian fishery until they clean up their act. Reefers owe this the the reef and its inhabitants.

Reefers can also support organizations like corl (www.corl.org) whose goal it is to assist in improving the reefs and its inhabitants and other worthwhile organizations like MAC etc.

 

[mkirda]

Of course, by doing this, you support the cyanide caught movement, as well-and i, personally, highly doubt that supporting mac by buying their 'certified' (no one knows, yet, and still, what they are actually being 'certified' for, other than that they're mac certified :wink: ) fish will really do anything concrete to even slow down the cyanide caught operations

Vitz,

That is one place where I do think that you are wrong...

While I agree that there are problems with MAC's certification system as currently implemented...

I also believe John Brandt when he described the collectors in Batasan.

There are very few fish coming out of MAC: This is true. I also know that one of the fish they do get is the Copperbanded Butterfly.

Locally, we have one shop that is MAC certified. My club president has been looking for several months now for a MAC certified CBB. The local shop cannot get one in for him. What the reason is, I have no idea. But Doug is willing to wait, so he is. He keeps going in, week after week, looking for his fish, and talks to the shop owner each time. He is still waiting...

Do you have any idea how easy it would be for the owner to say "Here is your fish"? Something is stopping him from doing so. The most likely explanation for why he can't get the fish is probably the simplest: He can't get one.

In other words, the store owner isn't selling him a non-MAC fish as a MAC one.

What little supply there is should be clean and net caught. Especially since MAC keeps traipsing observers and reporters through Bohol so often. These guys can't afford to NOT be net-caught fishermen: For MAC, there is way too much riding on it (and them).

Regards.
Mike Kirda

 

[Anonymous]

once again, mike, what does 'mac certified' really mean?

as far as i'm concerned-atm, it means a cyanided fish that's been held at a facility that also holds netcaught fish-the purchaser can really verify nothing else

or- it may mean that the fish purchased has a 1/1000, or worse, chance, of actually being netcaught

i think my odds are far better w/mary's stock, if i'm looking for making sure the very fish i purchase has actually been net caught-no 'certification' necessary :wink:

 

[mkirda]

i think my odds are far better w/mary's stock, if i'm looking for making sure the very fish i purchase has actually been net caught-no 'certification' necessary :wink:

Vitz,

The sad thing here is that people from MAC will read this and understand how far it is they have to go to get consumer acceptance, and go ahead and spend that $800,000 Peter spoke about in a flashy advertising campaign to woo consumers instead of concentrating on the field work that is necessary to increase the supply.

In other words, it will be completely wasted.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

 

[Anonymous]

Education is nice, but it is slow and we cant agree on how to get the word out, not to even mention agree on what the word is.
Mac certification is nice, but, according to the website, there ain't no place near me to buy anything with such a certification.
Talking to me LFS is like hitting my head against a wall, and why shouldn't it be - they need to make money.
It is almost impossible to know what is, or isn't drug caught.
Me not buying a drug caught fish doesn't do anything for the 100's of people that do buy them.

 

[naesco]

Education is nice, but it is slow and we cant agree on how to get the word out, not to even mention agree on what the word is.
Mac certification is nice, but, according to the website, there ain't no place near me to buy anything with such a certification.
Talking to me LFS is like hitting my head against a wall, and why shouldn't it be - they need to make money.
It is almost impossible to know what is, or isn't drug caught.
Me not buying a drug caught fish doesn't do anything for the 100's of people that do buy them.

I agree. Certainly education is important but to end the cyanide trade will require firm and decisive action.

 

[clarionreef]

Righty and Wayne,
You can't talk refrom while buying poisoned fish so the first thing is to hook up with one of us who deal in netcaught fish.
I get MAC fish and deal with a MAC exporter frequently. I don't make much of it though and don't advertise it because it is too tiny, token and insignificant to bother with. Besides, it creates an expectation of superior fish in peoples minds which is not lived up to.
The skinny, starving chelmon, the slime-bodied maroon clowns, the thin orbic bats and the halfblack angels are not much to brag about. Thats for sure. Especially when there are so many other netcaught fish of more interest to deal in.
This short list of common fish that MAC has front-loaded to carry the message was a big mistake. They only have value as deodorant to clean up the other fish they are routinely mixed with.
To combat the shortage of good variety netcaught fishes, MAC has still not come across with much more of a plan than making city people go out and give it a try. City folks who don't know how to dive and who have never kept a tank or caught a fish. This is a requirement to be a MAC trainer in the year 2003.
If MAC wants out of the coming embarrassment, they need to contract out to have this work done.
Until then...the hype of MAC certified netcaught fish will continue. The available supply will be inconsequential and far, far below what is required to impress anyone. For lack of fish supply, there will be empasis on the theory, the game plan and the savings of dealing in MAC certified fish...all on paper.
When will there actually be enough of these fish to go around? Don't hold your breath. If this years progress is any indication...never. There has never been a training team as inept as the one currently working on it. They're nice folks. Very polite and good at paper work.
I get their fish. I mix them. I mix them with other, better netcaught fish to give them credibility.
Steve @ Cortez Marine