Krish
RF STAFF
I know a lot of people here wonder why a person like me, living in the Bahamas, has pretty much a bare tank (not very many fish and no corals yet). So I figured I'd elaborate a bit on how my country works and it's position on the whole thing.
As I've discussed many times before, the Bahamas is against importing any marine life whatsoever into the country. The only way you can legally import anything marine, is by getting a permit from the government which isn't an easy thing to do. They really only grant these permits to companies like Atlantis and the once was Coral World for their exhibits etc. but nothing more. The reason why they are so against it is because our country's number one source of income is Tourism. Without it, we would fall under. People come here from all over the world to enjoy our climate, food and beaches. So if they were to allow locals to import foreign marine life and they happen to dump them into our waters, then it can affect the entire Bahamas in one way or the other as a whole (Just think about how Piranha's are banned in some states). Just take for instance the recent sightings of the lionfish in shallow waters. If they happen to breed and spread, they could possibly deplete some species of fish that local fisherman rely on daily for income. Then you have to worry about introducing something into the waters that can wipe out a whole reef and result in nothing but underwater graveyards which no-one will interested in coming here to see.
With the way things are going now (ie global warming etc;.) The reefs, on their own, are heading in the wrong direction to be non-existent in the very near future which again is bad for the economy and the way of life for some Bahamians. The waters are even being fished out so badly that the Bahamian Government is in the process of passing a law that will prevent fisherman from being able to obtain conch's 365 days out of the year and will only be permitted during a few months of the year just as it had to be done with crawfish. On that same note, they prohibit harvesting any corals directly off of the reefs. The reefs are in such a bad state as it is, they don't want the locals to add to it which has become even more evident in fines and jail times that are being associated with fisherman who like to bleach the reefs to catch crawfish. And the list goes on....
So in a nut shell, that is basically some of the Bahamas postion on importing, exporting and harvesting marine life. As for my position on the the subject, it is evident how I feel about it. My tank is pretty much bare so that speaks for itself. I get ragged all the time (in good fun I'm sure) by a few buddies of mine, but they know where I stand. Yes, I do want corals. It is evident by just looking at my setup because who buys a chiller and halides for only fish and rock? It's just that these things goes with sense and I'm not interested in going to jail or having a heavy fine slapped on me nor am I interested in having someone else get in trouble for me in their attempt to sneak some over, so I have to be careful how I go about it so as to not get myself thrown in the slammer. I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on my current situation and the Bahamas' position on things, which is fine, but just incase someone does personally have a problem with me having only a FOWLR (living in the Bahamas)think of it like this...When I became a member here, I only ever wanted a FOWLR setup and nothing more (always said that) because I knew corals were something pretty much out of my reach. But after being constantly asked and pressured into getting corals, I gave into the idea so I could basically fit in and be "accepted". Since then, I've been spending money like mad and trying to perfect things so that when that "little" window of opportunity happened to open for me, I'd be ready. So far, no luck, no biggie...I never come out and just talk about getting corals on my own. It is only really mentioned when someone else brings it up which is fine. In any event, if I do happen to finally get corals, that will be great because I am really looking forward to taking on the challenge. Until then, if it offends anyone that I don't have any corals in my tank, feel free to take the chance and bring some for me
If not, then I don't mind at all if those person's just skip past my threads...It is all good
As I've discussed many times before, the Bahamas is against importing any marine life whatsoever into the country. The only way you can legally import anything marine, is by getting a permit from the government which isn't an easy thing to do. They really only grant these permits to companies like Atlantis and the once was Coral World for their exhibits etc. but nothing more. The reason why they are so against it is because our country's number one source of income is Tourism. Without it, we would fall under. People come here from all over the world to enjoy our climate, food and beaches. So if they were to allow locals to import foreign marine life and they happen to dump them into our waters, then it can affect the entire Bahamas in one way or the other as a whole (Just think about how Piranha's are banned in some states). Just take for instance the recent sightings of the lionfish in shallow waters. If they happen to breed and spread, they could possibly deplete some species of fish that local fisherman rely on daily for income. Then you have to worry about introducing something into the waters that can wipe out a whole reef and result in nothing but underwater graveyards which no-one will interested in coming here to see.
With the way things are going now (ie global warming etc;.) The reefs, on their own, are heading in the wrong direction to be non-existent in the very near future which again is bad for the economy and the way of life for some Bahamians. The waters are even being fished out so badly that the Bahamian Government is in the process of passing a law that will prevent fisherman from being able to obtain conch's 365 days out of the year and will only be permitted during a few months of the year just as it had to be done with crawfish. On that same note, they prohibit harvesting any corals directly off of the reefs. The reefs are in such a bad state as it is, they don't want the locals to add to it which has become even more evident in fines and jail times that are being associated with fisherman who like to bleach the reefs to catch crawfish. And the list goes on....
So in a nut shell, that is basically some of the Bahamas postion on importing, exporting and harvesting marine life. As for my position on the the subject, it is evident how I feel about it. My tank is pretty much bare so that speaks for itself. I get ragged all the time (in good fun I'm sure) by a few buddies of mine, but they know where I stand. Yes, I do want corals. It is evident by just looking at my setup because who buys a chiller and halides for only fish and rock? It's just that these things goes with sense and I'm not interested in going to jail or having a heavy fine slapped on me nor am I interested in having someone else get in trouble for me in their attempt to sneak some over, so I have to be careful how I go about it so as to not get myself thrown in the slammer. I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on my current situation and the Bahamas' position on things, which is fine, but just incase someone does personally have a problem with me having only a FOWLR (living in the Bahamas)think of it like this...When I became a member here, I only ever wanted a FOWLR setup and nothing more (always said that) because I knew corals were something pretty much out of my reach. But after being constantly asked and pressured into getting corals, I gave into the idea so I could basically fit in and be "accepted". Since then, I've been spending money like mad and trying to perfect things so that when that "little" window of opportunity happened to open for me, I'd be ready. So far, no luck, no biggie...I never come out and just talk about getting corals on my own. It is only really mentioned when someone else brings it up which is fine. In any event, if I do happen to finally get corals, that will be great because I am really looking forward to taking on the challenge. Until then, if it offends anyone that I don't have any corals in my tank, feel free to take the chance and bring some for me
If not, then I don't mind at all if those person's just skip past my threads...It is all good
