Greetings from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Just letting NANFA members know I have registered for this forum. I am not a regular chat-line user; just don't have the time to sit in front of a computer and chat. But, I see value in having this to get information out to fellow fish enthusiasts. If anyone specifically needs to get a hold of me or wishes for my direct input into a discussion, please e-mail me at robert.hrabik@mdc.mo.gov. Else, I will probably not check this forum out unless I have a direct need. Thanks for this forum opportunity.

Robert (Bob) A. Hrabik
Riviere de la Pomme Lodge
Oak Ridge, Missouri, USA 63769

Thanks Bob for making yourself available. I find it very valuable to have management people who are willing to see the value in the information that hobbiest have and produce. It often seems that state management agencies do not pay much attention to non-game fish but I must say I was very impressed by your group in Missouri and that did not seem to be the case at all. Although I think it is also fair to say that anyone that is part of some kind of management and is also a NANFA member or member to this page probably would not fall into the catagory of not paying attention to non-game fish.

It is quite true that most who work in state conservation agencies, and particularly those in management sections, are not very interested in non-game fishes. That is mostly true for the Missouri Department of Conservation as well, but I will say that MDC is a bit more progressive than most state agencies in this regard. My unit here in Cape Girardeau is especially interested in community dynamics in rivers and streams and everyone who works here is very enthused about small and non-game fishes. David Ostendorf, of my staff, is an expert photographer and he has a fabulous gallery of native fishes from across the central United States. Both Dave Herzog and I earned our Master's degrees studying cyprinids. And, as you know, I am coauthoring a field guide on the fishes of Nebraska and will be coauithoring a book on the fishes of the Central Plains. Frankly, I find game fish mostly (not all), boring.

Bob