Come on now, I thought your comment was pretty comical and my reply pretty relaxed. Hence the use of LOL. I've never been one to liberally sprinkle needless emoticons in my posts nor have I felt it had to be done. I notice none of the other posts have them and I won't sit and accuse those I don't see eye to eye with as being "trolls", "too sensitive", or in need of a "chill". I am on the other hand pretty well known for using sentence enhancers when I'm angry. LOL if I were upset there'd be no question. I suspect however were I to have called you a name, and passed judgment on you after painting you with a pretty broad brush you probably wouldn't care for it too much.
You're certainly welcomed to your opinion and I wanted to find out exactly what brings you to that opinion. I don't have to see things your way but I'm not so close minded that I would immediately dismiss your thoughts as rubbish and not try and look at the situation objectively. I guess some aren't capable of that.
Your flower analogy might work on another plane, but not this one. First, these fish are tropical. There's no question, they WILL die in a matter of weeks when their metabolisms can no longer adapt to the chilling waters. Are your daises your comparing going to die in a couple weeks?
Second, these are non native and invasive. They need to be removed, even if they are pretty and you want everyone to get a chance to look at them. Could the same be said for your daises someone's bringing to the florist?
Instead of collecting for profit, which who cares if it's for profit and judging by your latest response it's not the profit you have a problem with but that others cant enjoy, you're solution is to allow them to stay until they're killed off. OK, selling may be greedy to you, but your way is cruel to me. If I wanted to see a non native species I would either go to a controlled environment which houses them or I would make a trip to go see them in their natural habitat. I would never advocate a zoo bringing me a polar bear every winter that was sure to die come the warm weather just so I can see it once a year. And let's be real here, seeing these tiny tropicals in an incredibly small percentage compared to the native wildlife hardly qualifies or takes the place of diving to see them in their natural habitat. They might be a nice little surprise for someone in the area but the vast majority aren't even aware they make it here and also would never have known the difference if they didn't see one.
Do you also advocate leaving the lionfish alone that are invading southern Atlantic and Caribbean waters because otherwise folks might never get to see one in the wild since they are pacific fish and all? What's the difference between them and the tropicals up here?
Me personally, I like to collect them and save their little lives. I use two little fish tank nets and it takes me hours just to get a handful. I'm hardly making an impact, I can't save them all as much as I wish I could. The butterflies often don't make it to adulthood, but in my care they get a year or so more out of their lifespan than they will in RI. The aquariums take them by the dozens if not more and theirs are used for profit. They too are greedy? If we were discussing the taking of marine ornamentals for the aquarium trade out of their natural habitat, well then sure, there might be something to that. But taking non native species out of circulation? Kinda silly no?
As far as moral ground goes. I'm failing to see how someone removing an invasive species can even be questioned as being the slightest bit immoral! They're non native species! Since when was getting rid of an invasive species a bad thing! Are you going to bat an eye when mile-a-minute vine is eradicated? How about africanized bees? Were you torn up about the snakefish being banned from the states after the damage they were causing because now you'll never be able to see one in a pet store? Imported chestnut trees completely wiped out American chestnut trees. Should the imported ones stay because if not people would have to visit Europe to see one? LOL. I've done many things in my life unfortunately that can be debated on the moral avenue however don't question mine simply because I took a non native fish that was going to die in a matter of weeks. It doesn't begin to compare. Should I instead just ask everyone to kindly let me know when they are done looking so that I can dive after? LOL you want non native species to stay put so you can see them in the wild(where they will then die). Ummmm, would that be.....greedy? "Hello kettle, did you know you're black"? Perhaps selfish is a better description? LOL, yeah ok, I'M the greedy one.
If it's looking you're so concerned with you're more than welcomed to my home where you can see all the gorgeous tropical fish, corals and invertebrates you can shake a stick at. Shoot, if you're a competent worker I'll even take you diving with me into tropical fish tanks and you can swim with them to your hearts desire and I'll even PAY you a wage to boot!
I'm definitely open to discussion. But you called me a name inadvertently before you knew what my hobbies/buissinesses are. Fine. But after that you went as far as to call me a troll. Those aren't exactly ways to approach civil discussions. I don't appreciate that one bit and you wouldn't either were the shoe on the other foot.
You're more than welcome to pm me or I will start another thread more on topic to spare this one. For the record I would never have responded here if you were able to defend your view without name calling.
