An unspeakable atrocity!

theshrimp_123 · Post by **theshrimp_123** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 4:07 pm

I have seen a site that sells hawaiin reds 500 for $60, TO BE FED TO SEAHORSES!

I nearly fainted! What angered me was that it mentioned that they were canidates for the endangered species list; however, then they mentioned that you will love to watch the seahorses hunt them! Horrid!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe i will purchase thousands, then save I can some............SAVE THE OPAE ULA! DOWN WITH SEAHORSES!

louieknucks · Post by **louieknucks** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 4:46 pm

What website is this?

Veneer · Post by **Veneer** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 6:04 pm

Said website may be accessed here; unfortunately, the practice is not all that rare, especially within Hawaii (some online sources explicitly refuse to sell to those intending them for use as feeders, but the anonymity afforded by the internet makes such screening problematic).

honeyrobber · Post by **honeyrobber** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 7:04 pm

I intend to keep shrimp to clean tanks and eggs(my killies are coming lol). I am using the common ghost. I am setting up a green tank(brightly lit with plants) for growing the shrimp. All extras will become food for my cichlids. Now if I can find red cherries I would find them to pricey a meal. What I would worry about is that these are collected shrimp. That would just be wrong.

Veneer · Post by **Veneer** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 7:59 pm

honeyrobber wrote:Now if I can find red cherries I would find them to pricey a meal. What I would worry about is that these are collected shrimp. That would just be wrong.

These are not red cherries; "Hawaiian reds" - Halocaridina rubra - naturally occur in brackish anchialine pools: habitat increasingly threatened [over 95% of Hawaiian anchialine ponds can no longer support them] by development and introduction of non-natives (both intentional and accidental). Despite their precarious status, they continue to be wild-collected in unsustainable (considering escalating environmental degradation) quantities for use as feeders. That is to say, the purchase of every single specimen of those death-condemned shrimp - all wild-caught from what I can tell - brings the wild extinction of this singular figment of Hawaii's indigenous fauna closer to realization.

That being said, I believe it was Antecaridina lauensis, Calliasmata pholidota, Metabetaeus lohena, Palaemonella burnsi, Procaris hawaiana, and Vetericaris chaceorum, as opposed to the more common (albeit still vulnerable) H. rubra, that were considered for U.S. endangered species status. (See http://www.sw-center.org/swcbd/Programs ... ACEANS.pdf.)

Some relevant regulation:

Individuals or vessels engaged in taking, selling or offering marine life for commercial purposes must obtain a Commercial Marine License. "Commercial purpose" means the taking of marine life for profit or gain, or as a means of livelihood, when the marine life is taken in or outside of Hawaii State, and when the marine life is sold, offered for sale, landed, or transported for sale anywhere in the State.

Every commercial marine licensee shall furnish to the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources a monthly report with respect to the marine life taken and the bait used. The report shall be submitted not later than the tenth day of the month following the month in which the marine life was taken. Failure or refusal to submit a monthly catch report shall be cause for revocation of the commercial marine license. Violators are also subject to fines of $25 to $500, and/or imprisonment of five to thirty days.

honeyrobber · Post by **honeyrobber** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:20 pm

I understood what species they are. I was just making a point that these have a greater value than feed. I hate the idea of capturing wild anything to feed to another species. All our natural food chains are so disrupted. I am sure the guys harvesting these do not care for the wild population. We are over fishing the oceans with commercial fishing.

kimco · Post by **kimco** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 1:59 am

D*mned!!!!! Check out the site and found that they do not ship outside USA

I would love to place an order and bring them here so that it can be made available to hobbyist here! There's a burst of interest in shrimps now happening and i am very sure they would love to get their hand on those!!!!

KG

theshrimp_123 · Post by **theshrimp_123** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 5:15 pm

Yeah veneer, thats the site. At least when they finally are added to the endangered list, it will be illegal to wild catch them. Now I'm sure they will find some way to still get some but hey? What can a few dedicated shrimpers do, you know?

Veneer · Post by **Veneer** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:47 pm

Can you find a specific reference (apart from the questionable information provided by the live food site) concerning the endangered species status consideration for H. rubra? [I only found such notation for about six other Hawaiian anchialine shrimp, with respect to which H. rubra is comparatively common].

theshrimp_123 · Post by **theshrimp_123** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:34 pm

Sorry veneer,

All i know is what i saw on the site.