The Stuart Grant Fund

[Pat Kelly]

At the ACA convention a bunch of us gave money towards Cichlid Conservation / The Stuart Grant fund. The locals are using nets to empty out Lake Malawi.
The fund is used to put in devises that mess up the 1000 foot long nets.

A lot of clubs are making donations for this fund and I believe we need to find a way to come up with some money for it.

Think about it and give me some ideas.

Our funds are so tight that it cant come from the normal moneys that we collect.

The Missouri Aquarium Society (Steve Edie's club) donated over $1300.00 to this fund this year.

At some point we need to figure a way to make a special collection towards this.

For more information see the following links.


http://cichlidpress.com/smgfund/index.html

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb172/a...=BeachSeine.flv

 

[kaj41354]

Pat,

If someone can make a storyboard or dispplay on this, we could put up a contribution area on the ACLC table at the Swap Meet. Or - well I have some ideas. Call me sometime - we can do something I'm sure.

 

[mscichlid]

Why are the locals trying to empty Lake Malawi?

 

[Pat Kelly]

Over fishing.

Trying for food but what they get is the small stuff we have in the hobby. Not enought to feed everyone but they still do it and nothing can grow out. Watch the video, explains better than I can do.
The one area is designated a national park and it is against the law to use the nets but they do it anyway. No one there to stop them.

 

[Pat Kelly]

LOL
oh yeah, not empty water out.... just reread it. lol

 

[F8LBITE]

Someone should teach those donkeys how to identify, catch ,package and ship those fish and make money.


We should have a multi club get together and have members donate burgers and hot dogs and sell them to raise money for this cause. Too bad this didnt come up earlier in the summer but we could still have and outside meeting of some sort all the way up till mid October.

 

[cabinetmkr39]

How about the club Auction , 2 dollars instead of normal 1 dollar , 1 for club , and 1 for donations. Its small but something.
Maybe due like churches pass the plate around at the meetings.Its for a good cause.Just ideas.

 

[Pat Kelly]

<div class=\'quotetop\'>QUOTE (F8LBITEva @ Aug 26 2008, 03:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class=\'quotemain\'>Someone should teach those donkeys how to identify, catch ,package and ship those fish and make money.[/b][/quote]

The problem is not them keeping or eating the fish, its that they don't let any breed and take all of them. There will be none left. With 1000 foot long nets they can wipe out a population of a certain species in a week.

They dont need to send them they need to plant crops, or something to eat. The catch will not feed them but they do it anyway take everything. If there was not a limit on Rock fish here and they were restricted to a certain area of the bay, not able to get out to sea, how long would they last.

Some of the fish we see are in one little area of the Lake. Some like a 2 or 3 mile area. If they drag those 1000 foot nets that reach from the bottom to the surface and collect as much as they can, then what is left to spawn.

Anyway, I can't explain it that well. We will have Ad Konings here next year and I am sure he can do a much better job.

 

[phishphorphun]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Why are the locals trying to empty Lake Malawi?[/b]

The same problems exist in most water resources. Not just Africa. We have violators right here in the Chesapeake who illegally harvest fish for personal gain (usually for resell for food). Poachers are always going to exist. And when you have less enforcement, you have more violators.

 

[marge618]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (phishphorphun @ Aug 26 2008, 07:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

Why are the locals trying to empty Lake Malawi?[/b]

The same problems exist in most water resources. Not just Africa. We have violators right here in the Chesapeake who illegally harvest fish for personal gain (usually for resell for food). Poachers are always going to exist. And when you have less enforcement, you have more violators.
[/b][/quote]

Is there no one in African gov who sees a bigger picture? Seems they would be trying to maintain their natural resources. (If only to note that if they eat all they can catch .. leave none to spawn.. the lake will offer them nothing to eat or use on plants in the future.)

 

[longstocking]

The lake is their means of food... granit their way is probably not the best way to do it Marge, non the less, this is a 3rd world country. They do what they have to do... in the moment. They are trying not to starve and stay alive. They don't care about 5 years from now or 50 years from now. Would you if you have a new born child and couldn't feed it? Or a family you wanted to feed?

They pay divers 1 dollar a day.... that is a VERY GOOD paying job for this area of the world.

I'm not saying what they are doing is right... there are other ways to catch food. But, I can understand why it is happening.

 

[dogofwar]

Exactly Sarah. It's not like the people just decided to eat rare fish one day. They're hungry! Making it harder to catch food isn't the answer.

One of my co-workers just came back from working in Africa for PEPFAR (Presidents Emergency Project for Aids Relief)...Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya, I believe. It's like a $10BILLION dollar project. Oddly enough, it seems that improving healthcare in the 3rd world involves for than just handing out medicine AFTER people get AIDS/HIV. It involves clean water, decent food, job opportunities, agriculture, etc., etc. I'll ask him what projects are going on in the Rift Valley..


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (longstocking @ Aug 31 2008, 02:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

The lake is their means of food... granit their way is probably not the best way to do it Marge, non the less, this is a 3rd world country. They do what they have to do... in the moment. They are trying not to starve and stay alive. They don't care about 5 years from now or 50 years from now. Would you if you have a new born child and couldn't feed it? Or a family you wanted to feed?

They pay divers 1 dollar a day.... that is a VERY GOOD paying job for this area of the world.

I'm not saying what they are doing is right... there are other ways to catch food. But, I can understand why it is happening.[/b]

 

[longstocking]

I agree it is not the answer. Giving each family some fishing line and some hooks makes a more sense to me. :lol:

But I am not there and do not know the situation.... so I really don't want to guess what the solution should or could be.

Now Pauls fund.... makes a lot more sense to me. Maybe we as a club should decide which area of conservation we want to be in.

If anyone is curious about what I am talking about here is some info...

http://www.acaforum.com/loiselle.html

Maybe we could take the endagered BAP donations from the auction and donate that. Just ideas I am throwing out there.