Black neon tetra?

[ChoclateBetta]

WCMM was almost extinct and a few were captured still rare in the wild super common in captivity. Sometimes capturing fish from the wild is there only hope of survival. What if the species is found in a few pools of water that an invasive species got into and is eating them to extiction. Capturing and beeding them is there only hope. I read about an Rainbow fish only found in one lake and is nearly extinct there and some were illegaly poached and then mass bred now there are a ton more.

[thekoimaiden]

Originally Posted by Clint

I'm not sure an example of a fish that was captured almost to extinction in the wild is really encouraging. There may be many more individuals alive, but the native populations - and particularly the ecosystem - is where the permanent damage is. It looks like a new population was recently found, though: New population of endangered White clouds discovered | News | Practical Fishkeeping Exact location is being withheld to protect from collectors.

Sorry to have derailed this thread...I didn't really mean to. y End post.

I certainly see your point, Clint. It's not just about species-level conservation; it's about ecosystem-level conservation. I do feel it is a small victory when there are a lot of individuals alive, but it's still a net loss when the ecosystem is destroyed because it's not just the home for one species; it's the home for thousands of species. Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are another example of this. There are probably less than 100 individuals left in the wild, but there are thousands and thousands in captivity. However, we can't release ANY back because their original habitat has been drained and made into a canal. So not only have axolotls lost habitat but the hundreds of other species that lived in the lake have lost it, too.

Also, don't feel bad about derailing the thread. This is a very interesting topic that people need to hear about.

[ChoclateBetta]

If there are 1000s of individuals we can keep them captivity and breed them while working to rebuild there native habitat.

[thekoimaiden]

Originally Posted by ChoclateBetta

If there are 1000s of individuals we can keep them captivity and breed them while working to rebuild there native habitat.

You are missing the point. What about all the other species from that habitat that aren't kept in captivity?

[ChoclateBetta]

I feel sorry for them I feel we should try and breed as many species also we need to conserve there habitat. For example we can breed coral in captivity and help hurt reefs and build new reefs . I do get the point of us conserving the habitat.