OMG 40 clipperton angelfish, Holocanthus limbaughi,

Trust me when you are spending upwards of $5k for a fish, you are going to give it a good life...I know I was (and am) ready...
 
For Gods sake, please just leave these fish in the ocean.

Anyone attempting to import or keep this species for private gain should think of how many dead fish it has taken for it to happen and be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Do you own a saltwater aquarium?
 
I heard from a reliable source that they're all dead. Necropsies suggested poor water quality but I'll let the 'source' comment further if he sees fit. He's on RC and likely to read this thread.
 
there are numerous factors involved here that make this a unique situation IMO.

I am going to make contact with a few people to hopefully get something going to stop it happening again... and I know just where to start....
 
Trips like these are what have resulted in this species being displayed in public aquaria, and what will eventually result in broodstock of this fish being spawned and raised in captivity... If something were to happen at clipperton this species would otherwise be lost... I have no problem with proper collection and regulation of this species in the future... and while I'm not able to discuss details, I do not put blame on the collector of this fish, or the people that ultimately received them, but rather the way the fish were confiscated... I'll leave it at that...

I would, however, be against... say, collection of Chaetodontoplus ballinae at Ball's Pyramid for anything but scientific reasons...
 
there are numerous factors involved here that make this a unique situation IMO.

I am going to make contact with a few people to hopefully get something going to stop it happening again... and I know just where to start....
How? Someone was trying to import a species that would turn a profit.

Name one importer who does it "for the love of the fish?" :rolleyes:
 
... and while I'm not able to discuss details, I do not put blame on the collector of this fish, or the people that ultimately received them, but rather the way the fish were confiscated... I'll leave it at that...

Really?! Despite the fact that the importer freely admits to purposefully mislabelling them at time of import?! It is quite obvious where the blame lays IMO. Its a shame they ahve supposedly died, but if were going to start assigning and speculating blame, we shoudl all consider that.
 
All species have dead loss... we just don't hear about most of it... sad but true... I was wondering, because someone with sentiment like that chose the wrong hobby...


+1 to that . Sometimes it could be a delay in shipping, weather, customs, You name it . Crap happens and sometimes its out of your hands. I think the import of these fish would be a great gain to this hobby. If many of us didnt have this hobby how would people know how unique and special our oceans are.

my 2cents :)
 
Jeremy, we can go down that road when the time comes and discuss it all... don't speculate what is "quite obvious" without knowing all of the details... I agree with you on the part of Steve's labeling, as Steve admitted to... but I was referring to what happened after...
 
Really?! Despite the fact that the importer freely admits to purposefully mislabelling them at time of import?! It is quite obvious where the blame lays IMO. Its a shame they ahve supposedly died, but if were going to start assigning and speculating blame, we shoudl all consider that.

apologize for this comment. I shouldve kept my mouth shut.
 
As others have stated we dont have all the facts so I'm not going to comment further on the particulars of this case. What I will say however is that I agree with the opinion that with a very geographically limited or rare species like the one in question I dont think it is a good idea to collect them at all and that they should be left alone.

I know a lot of people in the hobby get off on the idea of keeping rare fish and go out of their way to obtain them but I personally feel this is a bit selfish and very shortsighted. I dont think that this practice has the slightest possibility of doing anything good for our hobby but may in fact cause it harm. Any bad publicity cannot be a good thing for our hobby in the long term in todays political climate. I dont equate keeping other, more common marine tropicals with keeping rare of geographically limited fish as this usually has a very limited impact on these populations.

I do believe that it is incidents like this one which do get publicity that may ultimately be the undoing of our hobby. I have personally witnessed negative publicity have a very profound impact on public perception in other areas and the public hardly ever hears any of the positive things associated with any given activity, bad news sells a lot better than good unfortunately.
 
so any change in the system...any new effort to collect it again...? i just read the whole story here(of course the bit what revealed rather)...it seems just faded away..
 
I don't think they'll be collecting there for a while, remember the tanker that landed clipperton atoll at the end oof febraury this year?

Quote from site :"We are getting reports that a chemical tanker carrying 10,000 tons of Xylene has run aground on Clipperton Island. The Tahiti Press reported the story almost 10 days ago but at the time it was believed that the hull was intact and the contents were safe. However, we have just received word that the High Commisioner of French Polynesia has canceled an application to collect fish at the Isle of Passion because the Xylene and other toxic substances are leaking out. Now the island territory is being cordoned off and all ships are banned from approaching. We can only hope that the chemical spill is not as bad as it sounds and that the French Polynesian government is taking extreme precautionary action to prevent this ship-grounding from causing a massive natural disaster which threatens many endemic species, not the least of which is the famous Clipperton Island Angelfish. This is a very serious situation and we can only wait to hear more on what develops."

Look what I just found at wikipedia! "Commencing in 2010, the Nautilus Explorer will be running diving expeditions from Cabo San Lucas to Clipperton Atoll via Socorro Island every spring."

http://www.nautilusexplorer.com/clipperton.htm
 
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Guy that caught these pleaded guilty, faces a year in prison and 100,000 fine.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18711110

HAYWARD -- A tropical fish wholesaler has pleaded guilty to illegally collecting a rare species of angelfish exclusive to an uninhabited French atoll 800 miles off the coast of Mexico.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Steven Robinson, 58, admitted catching 52 Clipperton angelfish during a four-day voyage to the Clipperton Islands -- the only place in the world such fish are found. He then labeled them as a more common species of angelfish and continued to deceive officials after bringing them back to the United States, according to prosecutors.

Robinson faces a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a fine of $100,000.

Because Clipperton atoll belongs to France, permission from that country is required to collect the fish and Robinson had no such permit. Prosecutors said the fish can reel in $10,000 apiece because of their scarcity.
 
Unfortunately this is the owner of Cortez Marine and past president of the American Marinelife Dealers Association (AMDA), potentially devastating to the image of the hobby.
 
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I have a French friend that applied for a collection permit to get clipperton angels and he was told no never
Only 2 can be collected a year to study and that is it
 
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