Florida bass in Hawaii????

"Why don't you bring the Florida strain largemouth bass to Hawaii?"

We've been trying to do that for over 35 years. Here is one reason it hasn't happened.....
[url=http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV26mG6A:b89f9]http://www.postimage.org/aV26mG6A.jpg[/url:b89f9]

Some 25 or so years ago while testifying before the Hawaii State Legislature... (yes, until recently the legislature, not the fish and game dept, made all the decisions and fishing laws.) Hawaii was the last state to allow the fish & game department, not the legislature, to make the fishing rules and regulations.

Anyway, the Sierra Club brought in this giant photo... the famous painting "Florida Bass" by Edward J Bierly. They testified that if Florida Bass were allowed in Hawaii they would eat all of the endangered birds. It made no difference that the "endangered birds" lived up in the mountains on different islands than where the fish would be. This picture said it all... according to the Sierra Club: "Florida Bass equals an end to Hawaii's endangered birds."

And that, boys and girls, is why we still haven't been able to import Florida Bass into Hawaii.

Aloha,
Stan

Sorry Stan, this is not the first nor the last time the Sierra Club has been caught lying. They do it without
apology. Their ideals are so pure, how can we civilians possibly question their motives.....
Stinks doesn't it? We were fighting the same crap here in Washington state regarding banning inshore netting of salmon.
Notice I said 'were' - it's over, they won and everyone else loses.

More sad (and stupid) than the Sierra Club are the morons in charge of decision-making who blatantly sign-off of their proposals without checking into the actual science (if any) behind their proposals. And what about the people who put them in those positions of authority? Not the brightest bulbs themselves, are they? There will be a special accounting for those who have done a disservice to mankind in the name of preservation. May the fleas from a thousand camels...

I digress before I get tossed from the site. I'll just go outside, scream, and throw rocks at a spotted owl and then have some snail darter stew. Yum, yum!

Joseph the Opinionated
Life Member of PETA
People
Eating
Tasty
Animals

Stan,

I would be very reluctant to trust the Sierra Club, PETA, etc.

That being said, having grown up in Florida and I have lived in Hawaii and Guam, if I were in a position to make this decision, I wouldn't allow them to introduce any non-native species to an island environment. The history of Hawaii and Guam teach us that both well intentioned and accidental introduction of non-native species is very risky. Some examples: mongooses on Oahu, feral pigs and goats on Kahoolawe, brown tree snakes in Guam (which did eliminate most of the native birds).

I doubt that bass would eliminate native birds, but their introduction to Hawaii would probably cause some other undesired permanent damage that can't be predicted.

-Phil

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Joe Valencic

More sad (and stupid) than the Sierra Club are the morons in charge of decision-making who blatantly sign-off of their proposals without checking into the actual science (if any) behind their proposals. And what about the people who put them in those positions of authority? Not the brightest bulbs themselves, are they? There will be a special accounting for those who have done a disservice to mankind in the name of preservation. May the fleas from a thousand camels...

I digress before I get tossed from the site. I'll just go outside, scream, and throw rocks at a spotted owl and then have some snail darter stew. Yum, yum!

Joseph the Opinionated
Life Member of PETA
People
Eating
Tasty
Animals

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Joe, I hate to tell you, but snail darters aren't all that tasty... 8)

Ed