LES VILLAGE... NETCAUGHT CO-OPERATIVE

[spawner]

Steve, When you head to Sulawesi let me know. I have a biologist contact there that has a soft coral farm. He also has a few species of shrimp that I have been tring to get back in to the US alive.

 

[mkirda]

plugging them into their training program and netting supply to insure that the fish supply remains all netcaught.

Just to reiterate... All you folks who donated to the net fund Mary Middlebrook ran ==> This is one of the places your netting went to. Ferdie was bringing it over by the dufflebagful.

Regards.
Mike Kirda

 

[clarionreef]

And to compliment this handnetting material....AMDA then provided the barrier netting.
They have had good materials now for a few years and are progressing very well! In fact far better then anything MAC had done with a fraction of the money. ...100 net collectors in Balis only cyanide free zone.

Its not the money so much as the goodwill, sincerity and basic skills that make the thing work. Never was.
Steve

 

[Jaime Baquero]

Mike Kirda,

If some importers are interested in getting fish from the co-operative what is the contact?

 

[mkirda]

Mike Kirda,

If some importers are interested in getting fish from the co-operative what is the contact?

I will have to get back to you on that, Jaime. I haven't been to visit them yet.

Mike

 

[clarionreef]

They were just here.
They spent nearly a week w/ Dr Rubec in Florida and 4 days in Vegas and 4 days out here near San Francisco.
I took them to across the Golden Gate Bridge, to Union Square, to a cable car, to visit w/local retailers and the importer host here fortified them w/ a collection of new and recent books.
They just shipped Tuesday nite and did a great job. They are holding the netcaught ethic together for their own reasons, not ours.
They are not certified...but are certifiable. The fact that cyanide dealers are certified...has really put them off.
They are simply bonafide...legitamite....all netcaught...[not just salted with netcaught fish] and anti-MAC now.
The fish are shipped out everyday from here.
Steve
PS. But what about those MAC dealers and MAC fish we've heard so much about for the past half decade??? Whats up with them?
.

 

[Anonymous]

Mike Kirda,

If some importers are interested in getting fish from the co-operative what is the contact?

If said importers are of substance, and buy across the board <read: non cherry picking>, there's several ways to contact them. There's a few of us that know Les quite well, and you know who we are

 

[dizzy]

Well Ruwi gave me his card at MO04 and I doubt he would would mind if I give out his business email address if it gets him business. Just tell him I gave it to you. :wink: I think we should be helping net caught succeed.

[email protected]

Mitch

 

[clarionreef]

Mitch,
And wholesalers who support Les Village across the board are what they need to survive.
This trip to America just secured them one.
This is a hobby forum and yet sometimes visited by importers.
The importers who look here are already aware of Les. In fact, they are not a secret...they are just selling something that no one has been that interested in ie....all netcaught fish.
All netcaught also means different variety quite often as they will not do anything and buy from anyone to get blue tangs. For this they have been punished in the marketplace.
Now...as the years go by, they have developed better alliances with fishermans unions in outlying areas....and developed more netcaught variety as a result.
However....9 out of 10 dealers look to them for a cheaper price then the usual supply and greater variety then the usual supply.
This accounts for the small popularity...so far.
In the face of the MAC debacle and legacy of no fish supply to go with acres of trees of paperwork...perhaps now the village will be a more coveted connection.
Steve

 

[Jaime Baquero]

Mitch,

Thanks.

 

[Jaime Baquero]

Just trying to get answers.

jaime

 

[clarionreef]

Very cool to see the slides of old friends in Les...especially Los...the lady in red on the first page
They are for real, mate.
The thing they do should be supported and subsidized....
However,
The difficulties in interesting any wholesalers in buying from them are frustrating as they simply are not the cheapest in town...period.
The eco-label, higher value and social equity stuff we say we believe in theory has hardly translated into reality.
No big, mainstream inporters want all netcaught fish....unless they are as tightly packed, varied and cheap as the big exporters like Bali Blue or Dinar.
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

I had the pleasure to met with Ruwi and Arlo this last weekend. Those guys are a godsend to our industry IMO

Is that why we missed you at the CA Academy of the Sciences? We had such a fab lunch at Buco di Beppo with the mafiosi. Sorry we missed you, I plan on enticing Matt to give another tour at the new aquarium with more tasty treats.

 

[Anonymous]

:lol: I was sick....and that post was over a year old

It does paint a clearer picture though as at the time of that posting, Ruwi was still communicating with me and the sponsored eco tousism bungalo project was moving along (funding secured). It wasn't long after that post Ruwi stopped replying to my emails. Peter speculates Ruwi forgot or lost my emails.

 

[Anonymous]

You know, I almost never check the dates on messages. I'm sorry you were sick, but you wouldn't have fit in that booth anyway. :lol:

I keep forgetting to check where Les village is in relation to Tulamben.

 

[Anonymous]

You know, I almost never check the dates on messages. I'm sorry you were sick, but you wouldn't have fit in that booth anyway. :lol:

I keep forgetting to check where Les village is in relation to Tulamben.

Yeah, I saw the pics in the sump. You all looked quite cozy

 

[eric.m.s]

most of this information fails to reach the end user...as a hobbyist what can be done to support Les Village?

 

[Anonymous]

most of this information fails to reach the end user...as a hobbyist what can be done to support Les Village?

Some one else necroposted here and got this old thread revived. There is no project, so it's not failling to reach anyone in it's grave

 

[PeterIMA]

Gresham, Despite everything I posted about Ferdinand and Les, you continue to pan what is being accomplished. There is a supply of net-caught fish that is available. I have asked hobbyists to help create dormitory in Les for collectors receiving training and for staff in the export facility in Les. One would almost think you are trying to torpedo our efforts.

Peter

 

[Anonymous]

Gresham, Despite everything I posted about Ferdinand and Les, you continue to pan what is being accomplished.

Which so far is only your word and pasted fluff articles without links. You have blasted other NGO's for doing the same.

There is a supply of net-caught fish that is available.

But you refuse to tell hobbyists where they can get them saying that it is up to others to get that information to the hobbyists.

I have asked hobbyists to help create dormitory in Les for collectors receiving training and for staff in the export facility in Les.

Your disingenuous spin is blatant, frustrating and disheartening.
Not only did you take back the request saying you had plenty of other funding sources, but you did so after refusing to supply any documentation to present to people who might be willing to donate. And, we're only talking about basics here - you didn't even give an amount of money that would be needed, or describe what the project consists of.

One would almost think you are trying to torpedo our efforts.

I think you are doing a good job of that on your own.