Changing the hobbyists viewpoint

Improving Captive Propagation success through hobbyist education
 
an open request for action
Joe Thompson 2009
 
In every hobby or activity comes a point where a large amount of people can engage and enter the hobby with little or no focus as compared to the pioneers of such hobby.  At this point much of the hobbies commerce system becomes targeted at the rat race mentality of “more is better”.  In reef aquaria, this situation is no different.  A vast array of fancy equipment, improved chemical additives, and even specialty glasses and plastics for aquarium manufacture have given the hobbyists something to strive for.  Hobbyists now choose and pay for a wide variety of products, and livestock to adorn their tank and show off to other hobbyists.
 
Due to the consumption however we are experiencing trying times, with a rocky road ahead!  The current state of our oceans, laden with stresses imposed by the human race combined with the problems associated with wild collection has caused great impact on our environment and such impact will notably change forever the reef aquaria hobby and reduce availability of many of the beautiful species we long to keep in captivity today.  Luckily, there are large groups of people focused on captive propagation of many ornamentals sought after within the hobby today.
 
Enter the first problem:  Captive propagation is expensive, and without adequate means to make a profit many of those active in captive propagation will eventually discontinue their efforts due to lack of economic feasibility.  Problem number two:  not all desired species are propagated in captivity at this time, this means that wild collection will still occur for a wide variety of species.  While some species being bred in captivity may come close to desired wild caught species, it is up to the hobbyist to choose a captive bred specimen over wild caught.
 
This problem hit me full force when I was attempting to coerse a local fish store to purchase and subsequently sell a Nassarius sp. snail that I have been successfully breeding in captivity.  The owners were amicable to a point however the species I have to offer is a much smaller species than the ever popular and fairly large Tonga species most commonly found in the hobby.  It dawned on me that in order to promote captive propagation I must find a way to show hobbyists why these smaller snails are better.  Since then I’ve noticed many instances of breeders finding out that shops and hobbyists alike will purchase stock based on price or size and the terms “Captive Bred” and “Tank Raised” typically don’t speak to the purchaser as much as we would like.
 
So what do we do?  Many of us funnel unsurmounted resources and efforts into our captive propagation projects, we simply need to tackle the education of other hobbyists with the same ferocity as we do educating ourselves and others.  We need to focus on accentuating the benefits of captive bred livestock with every conversation, every forum post, and every interaction we have with other hobbyist.  We need to request captive raised livestock from our local shops and we ourselves need to be willing to pay a few extra dollars for the benefits.
 
So what are the benefits, what am I gaining through captive propagation you ask?  Not everyone is an environmentalist, in fact much the opposite most people take a middle of the road stance and choose to consume on their own behalf.  Making the argument that by buying captive bred you are saving the environment will only go so far.  The arguments that you do have though can be extremely effective when placed in terms that most people understand and have great concern for, the wallet.  By purchasing captive bred specimens over wild caught, you are greatly reducing the risk of introducing disease to your system thus putting all of your livestock at risk.  To add to the argument there is the angle that captive bred livestock have already been guaranteed to accept prepared foods.  Your purchasing something that’s healthier, and given that it was captive bred itself, is most likely fit to breed within the target tank as it reaches adulthood.
 
Sounds easy doesn’t it?  Just think to yourself the last time you requested tank raised, or turned down a purchase because it wasn’t.  We can breed a ton of whatever in this hobby, but if nobody wants to choose captive bred, we’re going to be stuck with a lot of livestock, and a lot of issues.