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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Heiko Bleher Arrested

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01 Sep 2008 22:46 #1 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
It would appear that Heiko Bleher was today arrested for accidentally forgetting to remove some fish from his luggage as he tried to board a plane.

babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=d...p;btnTrUrl=Translate

Heiko and Natasha are being held in prison and no trial is date has yet been set.

there a petition out to secure his release already

www.freeheiko.com

well he did discover lots of species so why not

Seamus

Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild

currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick

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01 Sep 2008 22:50 #2 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Someone should set up a petition to get the website to translate abit better too!!!

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02 Sep 2008 11:25 #3 by mickeywallace (Michael Wallace Cath Woods)

Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods

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02 Sep 2008 13:16 #4 by newrossman (newrossman)
I do feel sorry for him but he should know that the good old days of grap it and bring it back for study are gone and it is good that Brazalian Gov are cracking down.

Come on guys who accidentally forgets to remove some fish from your luggage! and please note \"In 1964 Bleher started a commercial operation collecting and exporting fishes out of Brazil for the aquarium trade\"

He tried to smuggle and got caught, Fish/Drugs/Diamonds whats the diff?

Those fish must have been worth the risk, Rare/Marketable dont know

And was it his 1st time?, I guess we will see.

Reef 55 Gallons

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02 Sep 2008 16:50 #5 by mickeywallace (Michael Wallace Cath Woods)
if the reports are correct then i have to newrossman while i would love to be able to get new species asap if this is done this way than i would rather do with out!

profit been but first without consideration of the consequences is not excitable not alone is it wrong but there is also the risk of undiscovered disease which could do harm to native species were as these new species are immune. this is a bad example of profit first

also if by this theft these fish being described then the the right full discover has lost all credit due

in the early days of aids discovery it was know as hdlv4 named by french science team this was later changed when it was discovered that this team stole data from another source the french did it because there would be profit to be made from this

And Heiko Bleher it would seem is guilty of the same!

hopefully this is a miss understanding! and a licence had expired or clerical error

otherwise it is unexceptable and deserves a punishment.

Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods

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02 Sep 2008 16:57 #6 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
I don't think he was taking them from Brazil for profit. All the specimens that Heiko was carrying where in alcohol and formalin solution.

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02 Sep 2008 21:49 #7 by russell (russell)
Replied by russell (russell) on topic Re:Heiko Bleher Arrested
Hi Mate

Just read the report on Simply Discus. It appears his guide and photographer were arrested as well. He may be good at his job, but he did noe have a licence for collecting what appears DNA samples. also the fact that it was in hand luggage!!!!!!

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02 Sep 2008 22:01 #8 by adriano210 (adrian kraszewski)
mickeywallace wrote:

if the reports are correct then i have to newrossman while i would love to be able to get new species asap if this is done this way than i would rather do with out!

profit been but first without consideration of the consequences is not excitable not alone is it wrong but there is also the risk of undiscovered disease which could do harm to native species were as these new species are immune. this is a bad example of profit first

also if by this theft these fish being described then the the right full discover has lost all credit due

in the early days of aids discovery it was know as hdlv4 named by french science team this was later changed when it was discovered that this team stole data from another source the french did it because there would be profit to be made from this

And Heiko Bleher it would seem is guilty of the same!

hopefully this is a miss understanding! and a licence had expired or clerical error

otherwise it is unexceptable and deserves a punishment.

i think the same as you
he is not a child and he shuld know if that is illegal

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02 Sep 2008 23:32 #9 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
aparrently these fish where all dead and in a solution for preservation, some of these are believed to be new species, maybe it was an honest mistake as they where not live fish therefore not for sale only classification. he is a man forefront in the discovery of new species i personally hope it was a mistake as i'd hate us all to miss out on new fish for our hobby as if smuggling is going on in such a way Brazil may completely close its borders to this trade and then what will happen to our fish... inbreeding makes poor fish remember the odd wild caught to boost stock quality is always needed
Seamus

Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild

currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick

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02 Sep 2008 23:42 #10 by adriano210 (adrian kraszewski)
ok. But he can make that in legal way, not a smugling hiden in a bag.
just remember if the brazil is a poor country only goods what they have there is a rivers, rain forest, animals, plants and other natural goods, then they have right to take care about own goods. we just have to lern if even if they are poore countris they have exacly the same rights as we have here. if you are guest only in other countris you have to respect a law
just look how many species use to be place on CITES list
in this year join to them
lots of botia, labeo, and many other species,

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03 Sep 2008 00:20 #11 by JohnH (John)

\"All the specimens that Heiko was carrying where in alcohol and formalin solution\".


My preferred state to be in when flying, especially by Ryanair...not the Formalin Solution, though - that might just prove a little 'Terminal' (sorry, I couldn't resist that pun).

:o) :o) :o)

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

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03 Sep 2008 10:41 #12 by russell (russell)
Replied by russell (russell) on topic Re:Heiko Bleher Arrested
Just another thought to ponder on. This was the first time anyone has been CAUGHT!!!! Think back to Jack wattley, Eberhard Shultz and those that followed. All these are guilty of putting DNA alterd strains on the market, (I,m not talking about new Discoverd strains.) entirely different.
If he had nothing to hide all he had to do was to apply for the apropriate documentation. Preserving in Formaln will mean DNA is easily recoverable. In my opinion he has done the hobby a great deal of damage.

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03 Sep 2008 14:31 #13 by mickeywallace (Michael Wallace Cath Woods)
I for one agree with Russel. I comden Heiko Bleher action and i applaud the action of the Brazilian government!!!!!!!!!!!!


sheag35 wrote:

inbreeding makes poor fish remember the odd wild caught to boost stock quality is always needed
Seamus


I would agree with you Seamus if it were one or two but its not Hundreds are caught and sold not for genetic reasons but speed and profit.

if we want to protect our fish from in breed there is a simple way to do this with out exploiting and endangering wild stock.

good record keeping
thus avoiding breeding from fish closely related

good records of when and were wild stock was sourced

If this can be done with dogs, cats and horses then surely we can this

while i would except this is more suited to those with fish rooms there is no reason why fish with the correct records and history should not get a fair cash price from LFS.


this would benefit wild stock, lfs and breeders alike

Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods

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03 Sep 2008 17:02 #14 by Daragh_Owens (Daragh Owens)
He and his travelling companion have now been released.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1790

If seems this was the culmination of a year long investigation, so some one must think they have a case, whether it is valid or not remains to be seen.

He is an experienced enough collector to know what permits etc that are needed and if there was nothing wrong with what he was doing I don't see why he would not have secured them. As it was only fish tissues he was carrying, it would not have been for direct profit, although through his publications etc it may result in indirect profit.

Daragh

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03 Sep 2008 20:03 #15 by russell (russell)
Replied by russell (russell) on topic Re:Heiko Bleher Arrested
Fish tissue carries DNA, thus you can modify the genetic signature and alter the true strain. Not good enough if you are trying to preserve wild stock & blood lines.
There are enough mutations of the Discus already. The Browns & Greens were the original Discus, look where we are now.

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03 Sep 2008 22:45 #16 by mickeywallace (Michael Wallace Cath Woods)
Just an up date Heiko Bleher was today released after three and hlf days in Prison.

I am sure the story has already been sold. But it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about the matter.

Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods

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03 Sep 2008 23:35 #17 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
yep have to agree with you on the record keeping part, but lets hear what he has to say hopefully it was a mistake not a deliberate act, i'd hate any honest researchers to be tarnished by actions of rogue traders... didn't think of the dna aspect of it though and ye have a point on that...
Heiko explain yourself to one and all if your listening

Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild

currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick

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