Re[2]: [RML] POLITICIANS should be SHARK BAIT.

andrew.boyd at dfat.gov.au
Wed, 10 Sep 1997 9:49:00 +1000


Good Morning Adrian (and everyone else) :)

I think I've had my say often enough, but anyway, just to reiterate:
anyone go to the Canberra ANGFA Convention in 1995 and notice a little
document included in your goody bags called "The Smuggler's Tail"? I
wrote it, and it was my own way of trying to prompt the whole of ANGFA
to look at the problems that may arise from smuggling.

There are good and bad points from all perspectives - I wrote at the
time about the people who got in everything that they could, and
weren't looking at the possible long term effects of their unlawful
activities on the hobby (and now it seems the sky is blackened by the
wings of chickens coming home to roost) ;) - at the other end of the
scale I mentioned the folks who couldn't get enough control and were
contributing to the problem by their stubborn refusal to permit legal
importation.

Then there were the guys, some of whom wore big hats and some of whom
did not - who were prepared to sit back and let other people take the
risks of smuggling yet reap the benefits in a couple of generations'
time, while giving public lip-service to the official "smuggling is
bad" policy. I am one of these hypocrites myself, I guess, I own a M.
praecox.

FWIW, and I know my words are worth less than the ether they are
sprayed upon around here, but I think that ANGFA(National) should be
represented as much as possible in the process that Adrian refers to
below, the meeting with QLD Fisheries.

Regards, Andrew

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: [RML] POLITICIANS should be SHARK BAIT.
Author: MIME:atappin at ecn.net.au at INTERNET-MAIL
Date: 9/9/97 4:00 PM

At 16:14 8/09/97 -0400, killiman wrote:

>>I think that the cure to the problem is make a new government and a new
>declaration of independance. DUMP THE TEA IN THE HARBOR along with the
>politicians as shark food.

I've been trying to get mainly the Australian members on the list involved in
this debate and to have their say in this matter as this may very well be the
only place they will get the chance. A pending review on exotic aquarium fish
(which includes PNG rainbowfishes) is not a figment of my imagination and is
very, very real. I have been told today that Aquarium Industry
representatives will be meeting with Queensland Fisheries this coming Friday
to discuss this very subject. I don't know if the hobby will be represented
or not but I can tell you from pass experience that when it comes to a show
of hands, the trade will be voting for the fish that have the best retail
sales, the Cichlid keepers will be voting for Cichlids and Killiman will be
voting for Killifish ;-) etc., etc. If there isn't any ANGFA representation,
then don't expect any quarter from the Academic Bureaucrats. They wont be
sitting there weeping in their hankies!

For the non-Queenslanders on the list don't fret, you're day is coming.
Pijac and the NSW Dealers Group are involved in on-going discussions with
the Federal Government also. Its all just a matter of time.

Who knows what the outcome may be, but I can tell you all that if it wasn't
for PNG rainbowfishes, ANGFA would not be what it is today. ANGFA after all
was started as an Aquarium Society for keepers of the Fishes of Sahul and
despite the infiltration of the Greenie element, it still is. However, the
vast majority of members keep rainbowfishes and without rainbowfishes there
will be no ANGFA in the future and the Greenies will have won!.

I might add that a negative outcome from all these discussions will only
exacerbate the situation and drive the dedicated hobbyist underground. Lets
face it, the smuggling of fishes is only done for two reasons, profit or
pleasure.

Adrian.
...............................................................
Adrian R. Tappin
"Home of the Rainbowfish"
http://www.ecn.net.au/~atappin/home.htm
http://www.angfa.org/rainbowfish/home.htm
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