Ever wondered why the industry gets criticised a lot of the time? Usually for things it has no control over, or has never done! The statistics used never seem quite right!

This is being remedied by the trade associations attending international meetings. The good news is that the industry is being recognised as a force for the good, in many eyes. A number of positive comments have been made about the industry at major meetings over recent years. The fact that our industry provides a high price for a relatively small amount of animals and plants and that demand is limited because of the relatively high entry cost to the hobby, is recognised.

The ideal "green" industry would give a:

HIGH VALUE
to a
LOW VOLUME
of live animals or plants but be of
LIMITED DEMAND

 

Despite this, we should make sure we are not so entrenched in our own thoughts and ideas that we cannot recognise valid criticism. That said, in conservation terms collection of fish and other livestock from the wild, is part of the solution not part of the problem. A representative of the government Department for International Development recently wrote "Biodiversity should be seen as a means of contributing to sustainable rural livelihoods rather than an end in itself."