• Hawaii Ban Fact Check - spread the word



    I recently discovered that MASNA has made a big effort to help correct the misinformation being promulgated to the detriment of the future of our hobby. Here's the facebook page; be sure to "like" it to stay in the loop.

    http://www.facebook.com/HawaiiBanFactCheck

    In a few days, Ret Talbot is going to be speaking on behalf of the industry. Another group hopes to stop the entire event on March 20, 2012. Here's their plea:


    FROM FOR THE FISHES SENT THE FOLLOWING AS AN ACTION ALERT TO THEIR EMAIL LIST REGARDING RET TALBOT'S MASNA-PRESENTED TALK SCHEDULED FOR MAUI ON TUESDAY:

    Aloha Reef Wildlife Supporters,

    We've just learned that next Tues., March 20, the Maui NOAA Whale Sanctuary will be the venue for a talk by a mainland aquarium trade spokesperson, Ret Talbot. Talbot is a board member of the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America which recently launched a web page to update their members and other stakeholders concerned about the growing movement in Hawaii to ban the aquarium trade. ...that's right... they consider themselves to be stakeholders in Hawaii's reefs and wildlife.

    For the Fishes immediately contacted the local NOAA office, asking them to withdraw the invitation to Mr. Talbot on the basis that many Hawaii residents find the trade in reef wildlife for aquaria to be offensive, and, in fact, county council's on three islands and Maui Mayor Arakawa are all on the record of wanting the trade to end in Hawaii. We were referred to the Hawaii superintendent for NOAA marine sanctuaries, Malia Chow.

    Ms. Chow appears to be hesitant to cancel the event - preferring an "open dialogue" on the subject, giving both sides an opportunity to speak.
    Ms. Chow was pressed on whether she would also give Taiji dolphin slaughters or whale hunters the opportunity to share their side of the story at the sanctuary. She said, "of course not - cetaceans are protected in the U.S.".

    We informed Ms. Chow that according to the event announcement, Mr. Talbot will be speaking on the aquarium trade in Fiji where coral reefs are being decimated by coral and live rock harvesting for the aquarium trade- a practice illegal in Hawaii for decades because of its inherent destructiveness. In fact, one of Hawaii's long time aquarium collectors, Tony Nahacky, is one of Fiji's oldest permittees in the live coral trade.

    Please take a moment to call Ms. Malia Chow, at the NOAA Hawaii Humpback Whale Sanctuary office on Oahu: 808-397-2651 ext. 251; or email her at malia.chow@noaa.gov.
    Let her know how you feel about this and ask her to do the right thing - cancel the Maui event!

    And please forward this email to anyone you know who wants to end the aquarium trade in Hawaii!

    Mahalo,
    Rene Umberger
    For the Fishes
    We in turn should also contact Dr. Malia Chow to encourage that such discussions continue rather than be silenced. You can email malia.chow@noaa.gov yourself. This is what I sent:

    Dr. Chow,

    It has come to my attention that one group is trying to cancel your upcoming event. I would strongly urge you to not cave into such pressure and instead allow both sides of this discussion the opportunity to present their case.

    Lately, it seems like misinformation is being presented on the web consistently. I'm a marine hobbyist and while I enjoy this hobby and educate others so they too can maintain healthy livestock long term, I'm also a huge fan of our oceans. I'm a member of Ocean Futures Society, and try to stay up to date on the latest political and ethical stances when it comes to our planet's ecosystem.

    Please allow Ret Talbot to speak, as he's one of the individuals actively traveling to specific destinations to report of what is actually going on, rather than regurgitating information handed to him by the spoonful.


    Let's hope everyone gets the opportunity to speak up and be heard. Do your part now and take a few minutes to support Ret Talbot via email.
    Comments 1 Comment
    1. pepper'scove's Avatar
      pepper'scove -
      Wow, that letter is churn your stomach type stuff. I don't understand why there are groups like this that don't understand that conservation is a huge concern within the hobby. I love the critters we keep and don't want anything bad to happen to them! I'll be writing up my email as well!!