[Cyprinodontiformes] Projecto Internacional de Goodeiídeos (3)

[www.viviparos.com]

Prezados colegas,

Na continuação das mensagens anteriormente enviadas sobre este tema, dou-vos
hoje conhecimento sobre um momento de viragem neste processo.
Aconteceu no dia 21 de Dezembro de 2008, através do anexo que vinha com a
mensagem do dinamizador desta ideia.
O documento em causa transmitia, em tom triste, uma súbita mudança ocorrida
na vida pessoal de Michael Köck, a qual o obrigaria a desistir dos seus
peixes e a resignar prematuramente ( e com muito pesar ) ao seu próprio
projecto.
Obviamente que serão omitidos os detalhes desta comunicação por motivos
éticos, dado que esta é uma lista pública, contudo, aproveito esta
oportunidade para divulgar a primeira reacção aos acontecimentos que nos
apanharam de surpresa... a minha mensagem para o grupo :


De: Miguel Andrade
Enviada: segunda-feira, 29 de Dezembro de 2008 02:51
Para: Michael Koeck; 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
NightingaleAssunto: Michael Koeck's idea

Esteemed friends,

After expressing my shock reading Michael’s document, and communicate my
sympathy and understanding with his present situation, let me take the
liberty to pronounce now each one of you a few words.
Please forgive me for this message without your clear consent.
As I told to our dear friend Michael Koeck, probably many of you agree that
we need him at the command of this forward-looking idea.
Besides the brilliant work of a very few groups and organizations, it’s
obvious that Goodeids are facing an alarming future, so I hope that, while
we cannot count on Michael at 100% on this project, someone could manage to
keep this ambitious plan rolling.
In my country ( Portugal ) the number of Goodeid keepers is falling too
rapidly.
In the past 2 years we lost a lot more than 50% of people dedicated to these
species, ( at least among those who have identify themselves at Internet or
are in contact inside the fish hobby community ).
For reasons somehow quite alike as those of Michael’s, last year I have give
up all my fish except of two relatively small groups of Goodeinae sub-family
species and two species of Poeciliinae sub-family preserved at my parents
home, obviously not in the most constructive conditions.
I am fighting as hard as possible to recover the proper circumstances to
raise again at least those few others I had the pleasure to keep in large
numbers in the past, but at this rhythm we will be soon reduced to less of 3
or 4 options available in Portugal.
This declining is perfectly clear.
For different reasons, some of the most important “ aficionado’s “ are
facing identical dilemmas on our lives, so we have reduce drastically our
stocks and species or even renounce to all our fish, at least for the
moment.
Many of the Goodeidae species need some expertise and proficiency to avoid,
at least, sudden “ inexplicable “ fish lost, so some less prepared hobbyists
simply give up these breathtaking species after the first fatalities.
A number of our potential enthusiasts are ( unfortunately ) classified on
the “ community tank “ type of aquarists, and if we are talking about
critically endangered species or even those extinct in the wild… this group
is definitely out of question to implement a conscientious conservation
active achievement.
Finally, the most crucial and important factor of the downwards on this
country… some species have been kept by merely 2 or 3 devotees and, even so,
in relatively quite small number of individuals per group. Any accidental
unpleasant occurrence with one of these small groups becomes catastrophic, (
to avoid mention here the endogamy effects in a short future ).
After Michael’s first contact, I decide to start a “ campaign “ to change
this situation in 2009… because it is simply imperative and urgent.
Unfortunately it is not reasonably predictable that next year I’ll finally
be able to recover my previous conditions to keep several species in
significant groups ( say several hundred of reproductive individuals in
stock all year round ).
Any way, you can count on me to make known this remarkable fish among my
fellow citizens and to spread the affection for them among hobbyists.
The most extraordinary fact is that in our Atlantic archipelagos the
temperatures are exceptional favourable to an impressive number of species,
in particular if we think on keep the fish in garden ponds outdoors. This
could be astonishing news if I could change some mentalities and convince
some islanders to replace the common goldfish ( Carassius auratus ) at their
garden ponds by some of the less demanding Goodeids. 
Please let’s fight to keep Michael’s Koeck idea alive and let’s talk about
it more often among us, keeping him, ( as possible as he can ), with us on
this initiative.
I believe that this is an easier said than done task, but it is not
impossible.
Above all it would be extremely important to mobilize and put everyone in a
relative harmony on a common project.
Let’s try than !
The most difficult is done… we have each other’s contacts, we can
communicate in a common language and, primarily, there are some quite
important starting points for discussion at Michael’s plan.
We could start to talk about a few more significant and evident issues and
work to cooperate as best as we can deal with the natural divergences in a
group of people with dissimilar education and culture.
I am ready… aren’t you ?

Miguel

________________________________________
De: Michael Koeck 
Enviada: Domingo, 21 de Dezembro de 2008 14:46
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: 

Dear friend, a last letter for you in the attachment

Yours sincerely 

Mag. Michael Köck
Curator for freshwater-fishes, birds und mammals

web: www.haus-des-meeres.at