Thanks Grandis. I'm hoping my zoas will hang in there until I can treat them.
You're very welcome. Glad to help.
Regarding Sea Shepherd, I have been an active member of this organization since 1985 and follow their campaigns closely. There is nothing about their activities that I am unaware of. Actually, it is because of their position on the saltwater aquarium industry that I waited so long to get into the hobby myself. But I believe that the hobby and the industry has come a long way in recent years in becoming more responsible in the way ocean fish and corals are gathered and propagated. And I believe this is due in large part to organizations like Sea Shepherd, who bring to light the impact of our actions on the Earth's oceans.
Please search a bit more and you'll aways find things that you should know. There are also probably unpublished things involving the subject, so I don't think you are aware of everything...
Indeed many other responsible organizations are trying hard and doing a great job in the aquarium trade business, not pointing fingers and provoking divers. They mostly carry scientific evidences and try to solve problems instead acting with empty radicalism and non-sense. They also building fish/coral/clam farms and such...
Quote: "Robert Wintner, known as "Snorkel Bob", is one of our greatest enemies."
Seems unreasonable to me for people who are so fascinated with the sea and it's inhabitants to count anyone who fights to protect them as a great enemy. Even if they don't agree with their tactics. Just my thought.
Well, it seems unreasonable to me that someone would come to an aquarium forum and display the Sea Shepherd's flag. That is my thought.
There is nobody that would care for the Hawaiian waters and our ocean resources more then the locals here in the Hawaiian islands. We do want to keep the environment safe and organisms available for generations to come, but to eradicate fishing, instead using common sense, professionalism and aloha isn't the way to go. To educate is the basics of the clock work. That's one of the reasons I got involved here, so I can learn and try to help others as well.
If they are against you and want you out of business they are your enemy!
They forgot how much the tourism, including those recreational divers they bring, are knocking down the corals down there!! We all see their damages!! All the time! His company is still making money!!
Quote: "Their arguments are empty and lack truth, without plausible scientific evidences."
There are a lot of statements being bandied about without basis in fact, and one of those is that Sea Shepherd's tactics are "violent." The fact is that no human or animal has ever been hurt or injured by Sea Shepherd during any of their campaigns. Their tactics could be described as aggressive, perhaps, but not violent.
A violent act isn't necessarily to result in injuries or death. Did you know that you can hurt people's feelings with your words and signs? They can use money too!!!
By the way, many times on TV you can see the dangerous approaches they do and their own statements in this regard. The people involved in the scenes could get hurt and die many times, talking specifically about the boats and whales.
Quote: "The aquarium trade is a legal global business, supporting local economies and a great number of families depend on it! It's a business just like any other legal fishing business."
My feeling is that just because a business is legal does not necessarily mean it is ethical. Off-shore oil drilling is an example. There are ways to improve the way these businesses are conducted so that their environmental impact is reduced. I believe that Sea Shepherd's goal is not to put the aquarium trade out of business but to change the way we do business.
Well, my feeling is that if collecting of tropicals isn't ethical, why are you keeping a fish tank at home? No sense, right? You should ask them what they think about it.
Yep, another example is the way they attack local business with empty statements and using your money, if that's the case.
Sorry to tell you that your belief is wrong...
They state on their web site under the description of Robert Wintner, and I quote:
"
ROBERT WINTNER (Snorkel Bob)
Vice President
Robert Wintner has worked for years to protect Hawaii’s reefs. He led legislative campaigns at the Hawaii State Capitol and in Maui County. His anti-aquarium campaign brought aquarium plunder and reef destruction to the surface and showed the grim reality of empty reefs.
Robert Wintner and the Snorkel Bob Foundation were crucial members of a coalition formed to protect the northwestern Hawaiian Islands Papahanaumokuakea Marine Monument. Wintner has also been involved with Monk seal protection, resulting in state laws to protect critically endangered Hawaiian Monk seals from abuse by enacting felony penalties. The Snorkel Bob Foundation underwrote litigation through Earthjustice, the nonprofit, public-interest law firm, to stop the National Marine Fisheries Service from expanding the Hawaii longline swordfish fishery. An expansion would have tripled the incidental “take” on Loggerhead, Giant Leatherback, and Hawksbill sea turtles. Through Earthjustice, Wintner personally underwrote litigation against the state of Hawaii for the state's failure to assess environmental impact prior to issuing permits for aquarium collecting. These irresponsible permits legally allowed any collector to take every fish from any given reef.
Known in the Hawaii tourism business for media against the grain, Wintner also produced a video on gillnet fishing, which proved effective in banning gillnets on Maui. Through the Snorkel Bob Foundation, Robert Wintner has been a lead advocates for eliminating the aquarium trade in Hawaii and around the world. Wintner has been a voice for marine mammals, turtles, reefs and reef citizens for many decades and vows to continue on. “It’s a long march. We have no choice but to take the next step,” says Wintner."
That was in the link I just gave to you.
That being said, I hope this forum will continue to be a place where people who love the amazing inhabitants of the sea can discuss ways to responsibly keep a tiny part of that miracle in our homes and in our lives, and not become a place to debate the often-heated politics of ocean conservation.
Thanks again for your help with my nano reef issues. Your experience has been invaluable.
Best,
Cameron
You're very welcome. I appreciate your recognition and that is mainly because I really try to help in what I can, with the short time I have.
I hope you understand that this is not personal and towards you, but there is a need to publish my opinion and this isn't the right forum to argue the subject.
Here is the place:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=225
Perhaps would be great if you could open a thread there and let them know your feelings and belief towards the organization and the hobby. I'm not an expert and they would be the best to talk to. That way you could understand deeply and decide what flag you would use in your avatar.
I would suggest Avast Marine flag, since you've got a taste for pirates.
http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/
Just kidding! :thumbsup:
Maybe would be great for you to start calling Mr. Robert Wintner personally. I would think that with so many years of support he would be glad to talk to you. Please tell him that you came here and one of the aquarium guys told you that he hates aquariums. Ask him if that's true and why. Tell him how much the aquarium industry has been growing and all that. Ask hime what scientific evidences he uses and why he wants to eradicate all fish tanks from the planet Earth. Please don't forget to ask him if that should be OK with him for you to have an aquarium at home and at the same time be one of the old members of his organization. But he won't know anything about zoa pox. You are welcome back here, so we could try to help you with that.
I hope he will be kind to you.
This ends my opinion on the subject.
If you need help with the zoas I'll be glad to try helping you, if I have some time to come here...
Hope the Furan2 works for the zoa pox.
I'm assuming you know they surely have zoa pox.
Maybe you could post a picture so we can be certain.
That way Mr. Wintner could check that out too. just kidding!
Have a great day,
Grandis.
