Although AKA members and killifish breeders pride themselves on being involved in the efforts for species maintenance and captive breeding, they are hardly the only aquarists to do so. The subject is one that is gaining attention, and not only among tropical fish fanciers and zoologists.
At the 1996 American Cichlid Convention, Dr. Paul Loiselle presented a program regarding the search for refuge areas where endangered Lake Victoria cichlids could be introduced and continue to exist as wild populations. The introduction of the Nile Perch into Lake Victoria has placed extreme survival pressure on many of the endemic cichlid species there.
According to Dr. Loiselle, the most promising possibilities for reintroduction of some species are the man-made reservoirs near Lake Victoria. In most cases, these reservoirs have few native species that would be displaced by or compete with the Victorian cichlids that would be introduced.
He further pointed out that some species are probably already extinct in the wild, but continue to exist as aquarium fish, such as the cherry and black ruby barbs. However, he cautioned, it is not certain that species that have been domesticated for generations could be used to reestablish wild populations. Also, certain species are not desirable as aquarium fish and would not survive if left to the vagaries of the aquarium trade.
A number of zoos and commercial institutions are already involved in species preservation, concentrating on breeding and disseminating species that are threatened or already extinct in the wild. The AKA’s species maintenance and captive breeding programs are designed to follow these same guidelines, preserving genetic diversity within select “core” species and distributing the fish within the hobby in the hopes that threatened species will not be lost as human encroachment and habitat destruction eliminate ever more of their native ranges.
— G.C.K.A. Newsletter, January 1998