[Cyprinodontiformes] Projecto Internacional de Goodeiídeos ( 02 )

[www.viviparos.com]

Prezados amigos,

Tal como convencionado na passada sexta-feira, dia 30 de Janeiro, hoje
envio-vos mais uma mensagem desta série dedicada ao Projecto Internacional
de Goodeiídeos.
De novo aqui deixo uma alusão a uma das regras de funcionamento desta lista
de discussão; toda a troca de correspondência que será divulgada sobre este
assunto é feita em Inglês, em particular pelo facto do grupo incluir
destinatários de muitas e diferentes nacionalidades.
Se alguém interessado no tema tiver dificuldades em entender as informações
publicadas por não dominar essa língua estrangeira, por favor solicite um
resumo traduzido. De acordo com as disponibilidades será feito um esforço
nesse sentido.
Aqui fica então a reprodução do contacto que se seguiu para o grupo sobre o
assunto em epígrafe, excluindo uma curta troca de várias mensagens entre mim
e o autor, no período de dois meses compreendido entre Setembro e Outubro de
2008 :

De: Michael Koeck
Enviada: sexta-feira, 24 de Outubro de 2008 17:32
Para: Ivan Dibble; Martin Ravn Tversted; Joel Healy; Miguel Andrade; Colin
Grist; Omar Dominguez; Brian Zimmerman; Miguel Zapater; Matt Naumann; Alain
Grioche; Gasper Gomboc; Guenther Schleussner; Gunter Teichmann;
Guenter-Ellenberg; Horváth Balázs; Kleine Horst; Harro Hieronimus; Anton
Weissenbacher; Dietmar Kunath; Erwin Radax; Patrick C. Schmitz; Roman
Slaboch; Kees de Jong; Stefan Hertwig; Jen Nightingale
Assunto: International Goodeids Project

Hello all of you!

I´ve done my job and written down the first part of the summary, I promised
you. It´s in the attachment, also the mail I´ve written you last time, too. 
Thank you all again for your replies and ideas and let us look together what
will come

Yours sincerely 
Michael

Mag. Michael Köck
Curator for freshwater-fishes, birds und mammals
web: www.haus-des-meeres.at 


Summary

First of all, I would like to introduce myself a little, due to the fact,
that I haven´t done it last time.

My name is Michael Köck, I am 40 years old, married, and I have got two
boys, 9 and 11 years old. I am zoologist and I am working as a curator for
frehwater fishes, birds and mammals in the Haus des Meeres, a small class A
zoo in the heart of Vienna, that is member of the OZO, EAZA and WAZA. We
show mainly marine and freshwater animals, but also reptiles, birds and
monkeys. The zoo is 51 years old and inside an 2 nd World War anti-aircraft
building. 
My interest in Goodeids goes back to 1998, when I got my first Characodons
and Allotocas. Since this time, I am keeping exclusively members of this
family, up to more than 20 species at some times.
About the reason, because I have contacted you weeks ago, you are surely
aware, but nevertheless, I have packed it in the attachment again.

Percentage of answers

I have sent my ideas two times. The first time, I have sent it in German to
13 persons, all of them persons I know personally or by mail. I´ve got 12
answers per mail and 1 by phone, that means 100% reaction.
The second time, I have sent it in English to 13 accounts, most of them
people I know personally or by mail, but also people, I´ve got the account
from another source, mostly from people who told me to contact this person.
Three acounts seemed to be wrong, so there have been 10 left. This time I´ve
got 5 replies, 5 didn´t answer, which means a percentage of 50%.
In addition to that, a friend of mine asked three Germans directly, because
they do not have PC access.
That means totally 21 reactions by 26 successful contacts.

I have contacted people in Austria (2), Germany(11), Hungary(1),
Slovakia(1), Slovenja(1), Great Britain(4), Spain(1), Mexico(1), Denmark(1),
Norway(1), USA(1), France(1), Portugal(1), the Netherlands(1) and
Czechia(1). 
One british, the norwegian and the czech account were wrong.

Reactions

I have been extremly surprised by the reactions. I have sent my ideas just
to see, if they are good ideas or just insane ones. Here the reactions in
general.

2 persons(both Germany) told me, this is a good idea, but it is not the
first time it has been tried, and it always ended very soon without results,
so it won´t work..

One (Germany) told me, he would like to see what will come and then decide
if to join or not.

One (Austria) told me, he is not willing to join another project because of
so many duties.

One (German) thinks he is too old.

One (GB) wrote he thinks the ideas are partly good, but didn´t wrote me
which part(s).
The rest, exactly 15 replies came from “I like this idea” to “a lot of
people in the world is waiting for such a project”.
These positive reactions and the intensity of so many of them, including
supports in many directions, perplexed me really. I wasn´t aware of the
fact, that there would be so many people who would like to join this idea. 

Here are the results, as a basis for discussion, that will start immediately
after sending the summary. I will send this summary only in english to
invite as many persons as possible to join it. Some not english speaking
interested, I will inform in German and send their translated opinions. 
First of all the coming procedure: I would like to limit the coming
discussion till the end of February. In March, I will go to the livebearer
conference in Denmark where I would like to organize together with local
support a final discussion platform to fix the main principles of the group
and –if possible- found it there. 

First idea:
Involve private keepers, zoos, societies and universities who have all the
interest of the goodeids at heart.

Results:
Colin Grist wrote that this has been thought over at several levels before,
but unfortunately not been developed. The viability of captive bred
populations in conservation programms has to be discussed, but the most
important thing is to build up a network of communication. Alain Grioche
said that getting zoos and a local partner, maybe the university in Morelia,
will be the crucial point for the group to be able to function.

My opinion:
One point, because I started this, was because I see and saw the keeping of
Goodeids from many directions: As a private keeper, I see the problems to
get into contact with zoos and conservation projects, as a member of a zoo,
I see the prejudiced private keeper, and as a zoologist, I often was told to
be a fish-murderer. Part of all three “worlds” I saw the chances and
necessities of talking to each other. I see the problems, zoologists or zoos
have with an often simplehearted mindset of private keepers.  Here, I think,
guiding by zoos would be necessary and welcomed. For one part to tell and
show private keepers, what in the is done and how a conservation project
works. For the other part to give private keepers the possibility to
integrate themselves. I also see the enormous knowledge and enthusiasm of
private keepers, I think an immense pool of ideas and support for the
object. Universities are the spring of questions, the places, where basic
knowledge is born. By talking to each other and explaining each others point
of view by simple words, I see a possibility to form a circuit. Like Alain,
I see completing the knowledge   keepers with zoos and universities as a
crucial point, and therefore I would dearly ask zoos and universities,
especially Morelia, to think over ways of communication and integration.

Second idea:
System of genus and/or species coordinators

Results:
In generell, this system was thought to be good. Alain Grioche thinks, it
should be thought over the tasks of a genus or species coordinator, like
monitoring the situation in Mexico, monitoring the situation in captivity,
distribution and so on. This will be a lot of work, so maybe it´s a
possibility to form a coordination core-group of 2 up to 4 people, like I
thought over with Horst Kleine ,each one with a part of the duties, but also
a regional “country-coordinator”, also Alain´s idea, with the tasks in
communication within the members in one country, in the first place with
members without mail-account and newcomers. 
Kees de Jong is of the opinion, that in addition to email-contact, one
meeting per year would be of help to hold the group together.

My opinion:

I think this group can only go, when the duties for everyone could be
minimized to a few minutes a week. I think, we should have coordinators,
absolutely for each genus, by coming interest could it be expanded to
several species. Some people offered me to do this job for Allotoca,
Girardinichthys, and other. I believe, that a core-group fixed by interest
to one genus or species would be best to keep this ball go on rolling. The
duties for the people inside this coordination group must be discussed, but
maybe we should at the beginning reduce the targets for the coordinators to:
1)who keeps what kind of species and 2)coordinate the surplus-transfer.
And don´t forget: It should be a group of voulnteers!
I agree also with Alain´s idea of a regional coordinator due to the fact,
that many (in Austrian aquaristic groups about 40%) don´t have the
possibility to send mails or read them. A regional/state coordinator will be
necessary. I agree also with Kees, a meeting per year or every two years,
maybe “same time, same place”, or changing localities would be great and of
impotance, maybe a kind of international goodeid symposium, but also 1 or 2
regional meetings for the members in one country. I think, we should think
this over.

Questions

Last time, I asked you several questions (still encluded in the attachment).
During the coming discussion, I  will slip several opinions to the five
questions, and maybe some new ones, in. At the moment, and due to the fact,
that I would like to start discussion now, I think 2 points are enough. We
have a little time left till March, and some qustions, for example, if we
would like to sponsor projects financially, had been answered so
adversatively, that it would maybe be better to discuss them in Denmark. 
However, I will inform you the next time, part by part.

I am on holiday the next two weeks, but I will have a look at the mails
every few days, and if possible write something, so don´t be angry, when it
takes a little time to hear something from me. 
If somebody of you means he is sure he knows somebody who could be
interested and likes to discuss the ideas, don´t be shy and include him/her
in the mailing list or forward this mail. At the other hand: If somebody
doesn´t want to be contacted, so please give me a short message, so I will
exclude him as fast as possible, so there won´t be too much mails for the
trash. 


Last point: I would like to thank all of you, who are interested in
goodeids, and I am really happy, that there´s a chance of a beginning
international contact between a lot of privates, zoos and universities.