Today I looked at some sources involving ornamental fish conservation. It's great they exist, but I do indeed need something to set my thesis apart from them. They mention that efforts in the Amazon to preserve and sell discus fish and neon tetras provide a source of income that spares the forests and helps the natives survive. I'll expand this to ALL non-food freshwater fish worldwide.
This is a win-win situation for all involved. Fishkeepers want to keep and breed new, exotic fish. Ichthyologists can learn some of the natural history of ethically-raised fish from the hobbyists. Fish collectors gain a source of income, as ornamental fish are much more monetarily valuable than food fish. If fish collecting becomes more widespread and lucrative, it would be a boost to any economy near a body of freshwater. Ecosystems are preserved, as nobody would want to build a mall, road, etc. over a large, beautiful, and hopefully sustainable source of income.
I also have an idea for a survey to add something of an argument for conservation: ask random people in the fish section a couple of short questions regarding the conservation status of several common fish. Even though my sample would be a bit biased towards Dallas-area fish owners, I'd get firsthand knowledge about how in the dark most fishkeepers are about the fish they, well, keep. This project involves everyone involved with ornamental fish to take steps in preventing our stocks from becoming depleted or worse, and aquarists are key sources of knowledge, like amateur birdwatchers to ornithologists.
Links
http://www.neaq.org/conservation_and_research/projects/project_pages/SustainableOrnamentalFishInitiative.php
The page from the New England Aquarium mentioned Monday.
Talks about conservation objectives. Probably won't feature too much in final project.
http://www.ornamental-fish-int.org/data-area/conservation/untitled2/-conservation-benefits-of-wild-capture
One of the two conservation groups for ornamental fish I found. Pro-wild capture. Helped solidify my idea.
http://www.ornamentalfish.org/conservation-welfare/conservation
The other group about ornamental fish. UK-based. Requires membership.
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