Originally Posted by Clint
I'm not sure an example of a fish that was captured almost to extinction in the wild is really encouraging. There may be many more individuals
alive, but the native populations - and particularly the ecosystem - is where the permanent damage is. It looks like a new population was recently found, though: New population of endangered White clouds discovered | News | Practical Fishkeeping
Exact location is being withheld to protect from collectors.
Sorry to have derailed this thread...I didn't really mean to.
y End post.
I certainly see your point, Clint. It's not just about species-level conservation; it's about ecosystem-level conservation. I do feel it is a small victory when there are a lot of individuals alive, but it's still a net loss when the ecosystem is destroyed because it's not just the home for one species; it's the home for thousands of species. Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum
) are another example of this. There are probably less than 100 individuals left in the wild, but there are thousands and thousands in captivity. However, we can't release ANY back because their original habitat has been drained and made into a canal. So not only have axolotls lost habitat but the hundreds of other species that lived in the lake have lost it, too.
Also, don't feel bad about derailing the thread. This is a very interesting topic that people need to hear about.