Category: GCKA – Conservation and Species Maintenance

By Donna M. Recktenwalt         It’s a common question among killikeepers, especially those fairly new to the hobby. “Why must I be so careful to keep all that information–locations and collection codes and such–for the fish I keep and breed?”         “There are sound reasons, both from the scientific and the hobbyist points of view,…

By Peter J. Unmack         I arrange two trips per year to southern Nevada for Tropical FishKeepers Exchange and the Bay Area Killifish Association (both based in California) to undertake conservation work on threatened and endangered fish populations under the direction of Nevada Division of Wildlife biologist Jim Heinrich. The following is the report on…

 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…

Thanks to Peter Unmack         March 19-22, 1998 marked a successful conservation trip to southeastern Nevada, a joint effort of the Bay Area K.A., North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA), Northern California K.C., and Tropical Fishkeepers Exchange. Sites for the efforts were the Moapa River near Glendale, and the Virgin River at Mesquite.         Near…

Turquoise pools, streams and freshwater springs sparkle among the gypsum dunes and dried lake beds of the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico.         A mirage? No, it is the Cuatro Ciénegas (Four Mashes) Basin Wildlife Refuge, a roughly 500-square mile site located in north-central Mexico. Decreed a natural refuge by the Mexican government in 1994, Cuatro…

By Donna M. Recktenwalt                “Absolutely!” answers Harry Specht of the AKA, chairman of the species maintenance program for Aphyosemion australe (chocolate).         Informally, every hobbyist who keeps, breeds, and distributes strong, healthy fish is a participant in species maintenance. Such individual efforts keep species in the hobby, and provide the opportunity for others to both enjoy…

By Donna M. Recktenwalt                “Absolutely!” answers Harry Specht of the AKA, chairman of the species maintenance program for Aphyosemion australe (chocolate).         Informally, every hobbyist who keeps, breeds, and distributes strong, healthy fish is a participant in species maintenance. Such individual efforts keep species in the hobby, and provide the opportunity for others to both enjoy…

By Dr. Harry Specht Copyright by Dr. Harry Specht, 1996         The subject of genetic diversity in fish was explored in detail by Gary Sutcliff’s article, “Preserving Genetic Diversity in Killifish Species Maintenance,” in JAKA, Vol. 23, 1992. In the article, he provided data which indicated that the minimum effective breeding population to preserve the…

The weekend of October 10-12, 1997 the Bay Area Killifish Association and the Tropical Fishkeepers Exchange, in cooperation with the Desert Springs Action Committee, held their annual conservation trip to the Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, Nevada. Ash Meadows is home to several endangered species of pupfish, including the Devil’s Hole Pupfish.         Under the supervision…

By Rui Carneiro-Martins, Biology Teacher, Portugal         One of the most important concerns of the intermediate/advanced breeder of killifish is how to keep the stain he has in good condition, generation after generation. This article will try to give a few hints on how to properly maintain (or at least to not excessively degrade) the genetic…