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Starting a general saltwater section


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Poll: Saltwater section (11 member(s) have cast votes)

Should there be a General saltwater section on NANFA

  1. Yes (10 votes [90.91%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 90.91%

  2. No (1 votes [9.09%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 9.09%

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#1 Leo1234

Leo1234
  • NANFA Member
  • san clemente, california

Posted 06 November 2016 - 04:04 PM

I want to suggest putting up a general native saltwater section and see what people thought of it. 

"I don't necessarily mean just reef fish, but I've seen some interesting news about the occasional deeper water fish being found in coastal waters near here, an example being like longnose lancetfish being caught off of the pier near my house and oarfish washing up sometimes."

"post is how this summer we had unusually warm water in CA and how some of the fish from baja were coming up to us, but the warm waters were also hurting the kelp from what I remember"

It could just be native saltwater fish in general. It would also help with organization of the topics so you don't have fresh and salt topics in the same place. It also gives a place for people to post saltwater topics without being confused about where to post it.


This is a north american native fish forum, but it doesn't just have to be about our streams and rivers. There are some unique, unusual natives in out coastal water too.


Also feel to post your reasons why you picked yes/no

 



#2 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 06 November 2016 - 05:51 PM

Neat thought, Leo, and salt/brackish stuff does show up from time to time. Always well received, but I know there is a concern in some NANFA camps regarding the organization's identity. There is a strong feeling among some that the focus ought to be on freshwater fish, especially nongame freshwater fish, as there isn't a ton of hobbyist/citizen scientist recognition for freshies when you compare them to saltwater fishes. I am neither here nor there on the salts issue myself. But I understand why it's been "freshwater focus" around here and I appreciate it.
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#3 Leo1234

Leo1234
  • NANFA Member
  • san clemente, california

Posted 06 November 2016 - 06:01 PM

I really appreciate the freshwater native fish section and love that the focus is on non-gamefish, but it might not be the easiest to talk about for some people since they might not have as many natives in their area. For instance, I only have about 3 "freshwater" native fish in local streams near me, but have many saltwater natives like surfperch, gobies, california sheephead, and many more. 

This isn't really to take away from the freshwater. It is just to give an area to talk about some brackish and saltwater natives



#4 lilyea

lilyea
  • NANFA Member
  • Peace River Watershed, Central Florida, USA

Posted 06 November 2016 - 06:52 PM

Leo - it would seem that posts about the fish that you mentioned would start in the relevant "fish groups" section (which may be "all other") and then if there is enough interest and it is in line with NANFAs mission then a separate salt/brackish fish group could be established.  I currently have 5 species that would fit into this category and have posted this week about my experience with spawning one of those species so I can appreciate the interest in native salt/brackish fish.



#5 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 06 November 2016 - 06:55 PM

Do it, as long as Michael is into it. Seems to be more interest recently, and our president is an expert.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#6 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 06 November 2016 - 06:57 PM

Michael, how hard is it to add another fish group?


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#7 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 06 November 2016 - 09:09 PM

I like it.  I don't know who Matt K is talking about, but I certainly have a bias for nongame fishes (then need more love).  But I have no bias against saltwater.

 

Adding a new sub-forum is pretty easy... and y'all hit me on a night when I am sitting here editing other things.  The only thing is trying to come up with the right name... "Salt/Brackish Natives" or something else?  I'm thinking that if we put the word 'salt' first, that would catch people's eye as they were looking for it... Whattayathink?


Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#8 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 06 November 2016 - 09:46 PM

Salt/Brackish sounds right to me. Cool. It really does seem like more members are dipping their toes in to coastal water lately. Opens up a whole new world.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#9 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 06 November 2016 - 10:07 PM

The native freshwater fish are ours, and ours alone. Makes them kind of special to North American's. I think that is why we concentrate on them. Salt water fish can move great distances, are not endemic to the tiniest waterway you can imagine like some of our freshwater species. They do not seem as native, at least not in my mind, but they deserve discussion. I bet to the guys and gals who live on the coast and see them regularly, they seem quite native.

 

Glad Leo brought this up. I think it is a good move. I know I will learn from it. I have caught a few snook, and two sea trout. Not much exposure to saltwater fish in my background. Oh! I have seen some mullets. A few down in Florida in Ding Darling, but most have been of the dry land variety.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#10 gerald

gerald
  • Global Moderator
  • Wake Forest, North Carolina

Posted 07 November 2016 - 09:06 AM

Agree with Leo --  A salt/brackish section will be especially useful to folks who live in coastal states where the freshwater native diversity is low but rocky shorelines and seaweed beds offer some fascinating saltwater exploring opportunities, like the West and NE.   Having grown up in MA and now living in NC, I can appreciate both.  I do miss playing in rocky tidepools down here in NC.


Gerald Pottern
-----------------------
Hangin' on the Neuse
"Taxonomy is the diaper used to organize the mess of evolution into discrete packages" - M.Sandel


#11 zooxanthellae

zooxanthellae
  • NANFA Member
  • North Carolina

Posted 07 November 2016 - 02:01 PM

Agree with Leo --  A salt/brackish section will be especially useful to folks who live in coastal states where the freshwater native diversity is low but rocky shorelines and seaweed beds offer some fascinating saltwater exploring opportunities, like the West and NE.   Having grown up in MA and now living in NC, I can appreciate both.  I do miss playing in rocky tidepools down here in NC.

 

I fully support a marine section. Marine and estuarine fishes are what keep me going, I don't have much in the way of freshwater diversity, but could spend a lifetime trying to collect all of the sw species within 10 miles of me. Also, in some coastal rivers, the distinction between marine and freshwater fishes is somewhat blurry. There are plenty of amphidromous species around here that are fully freshwater animals as adults, but fully marine as juveniles, and don't fit nicely into a freshwater only forum. 

 

Gerald, don't sell us short now, we have that 75m stretch of beach near Fort Fisher that has rocky tide pools!  8-[



#12 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
  • NANFA Member
  • Central Maryland

Posted 07 November 2016 - 04:19 PM

as there isn't a ton of hobbyist/citizen scientist recognition for freshies when you compare them to saltwater fishes.

 

There is even less info about keeping brackish species, although I do love the freshwater native stuff too.  The irony is that when seeking info about putting together my brackish tank and some of the species that will be in it, it was an article found on this website that drew me to NANFA and my membership forever.  http://www.nanfa.org...illetfish.shtml

 

Once y'all landed me, reading the forums brought me back to past memories of keeping a local native freshwater tank, and how much fun that I had from it.  So, just because I love that brackish and salt stuff doesn't mean that I will lose my freshwater roots too.  After all, I'm in the middle of two builds, one of each.


Kevin Wilson


#13 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 07 November 2016 - 04:39 PM

Well good stuff to hear. Michael made it happen. So I hope you all enjoy, and thanks to Leo for suggesting it and Michael for getting it running faster than two shakes of a fishes tail.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#14 Moontanman

Moontanman
  • NANFA Member

Posted 07 November 2016 - 10:13 PM

I spent a lot of time collecting and keeping marine fish in my misspent youth, sounds like a great idea! 


Michael

Life is the poetry of the universe
Love is the poetry of life

#15 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
  • NANFA Member
  • Central Maryland

Posted 08 November 2016 - 08:17 AM

Awesome, thank you Michael and to the rest of the NANFA leadership!

 

Any chance I could have my oyster reef thread moved to the new section when ya get a chance?

 

http://forum.nanfa.o...ecosystem-tank/

 

Thanks much!


Kevin Wilson


#16 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 08 November 2016 - 09:33 PM

can do!


Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#17 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
  • NANFA Member
  • Central Maryland

Posted 09 November 2016 - 10:21 AM

Thank you Michael!


Kevin Wilson




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