A recent post I put up, asked if anyone had experience with Snorkel Bob, and his infamous war on aquariums. I was surprised no one replied. Coral Magazine has been covering this story for some time. Snorkel Bob represents and miscarriage of science, and very skewed information. Sadly, it's been compelling, and he and Sea Shepherd continue to hammer Hawaiian legislators to tighten the reins on aquarium collection. While progress for Snorkel Bob has been slow, some of his argument is compelling, from an ethical perspective. With the weight of conservation giant Sea Shepherd behind him, (he is their VP) I assume something will happen. As an avid aquarist, aquarium writer, and owner of an aquarium related business, I keep close eyes and ears on legislative proceedings regarding aquarium keeping.
I've written several essays to Hawaiian lawmakers, explaining why Snorkel Bob's information is misleading, and providing insight into why marine aquariums can work as a wheel of conservation, not a wheel of destruction. It doesn't seem to matter, famed aquarium writer and curator of the Waikiki Aquarium, Charles Deelbeck, has been leading a campaign in support of the hobby, armed with real science. I confronted Bob Witner on facebook, as he had incorrect information about keeping wrasses in the aquarium. I got a blast of messages from some of his followers, and was honestly surprised how ignorant people are about our hobby.
I wanted to get some thoughts on why this is. I blame shows like Tanked, that portray the aquarium hobby as a millionaire's club of trying to throw together a huge slice of the ocean. These folks have the money to constantly replace livestock. I think from a public perspective, us, the home hobbyists, who are very dedicated to our animals, aren't thought of, at least in this debate.
I've written several essays to Hawaiian lawmakers, explaining why Snorkel Bob's information is misleading, and providing insight into why marine aquariums can work as a wheel of conservation, not a wheel of destruction. It doesn't seem to matter, famed aquarium writer and curator of the Waikiki Aquarium, Charles Deelbeck, has been leading a campaign in support of the hobby, armed with real science. I confronted Bob Witner on facebook, as he had incorrect information about keeping wrasses in the aquarium. I got a blast of messages from some of his followers, and was honestly surprised how ignorant people are about our hobby.
I wanted to get some thoughts on why this is. I blame shows like Tanked, that portray the aquarium hobby as a millionaire's club of trying to throw together a huge slice of the ocean. These folks have the money to constantly replace livestock. I think from a public perspective, us, the home hobbyists, who are very dedicated to our animals, aren't thought of, at least in this debate.