2003 Chairman's Report and results of April Census

Greetings fellow SAA Study Group members!

This is going to be a lengthy document so if you are reading this at work it is probably a good idea that the boss doesn't catch you.

This document is essentially a report of the years activities. I am going to tell you what is going on with the webpage, what decisions have been made about the SBT and how we intend to change the format for conducting a census. Also in this newsletter is the results of the April 2003 census and the new modified SAA constitution.

For ease of reading (so that you can skip to what interests you) by clicking on the title in the table of contents below you can link to the section you want read.

Regards

Tyrone

SAA-SG Chairman

tgenade@freeshell.org

Contents

1  SAA Constitution

1. The purpose of the SAA
   1. The purpose of the South American Annual (SAA) discussion/workgroup is to ease the access to South American annual killifish, and to assist in their maintenance in the hobby.

2. Membership Rules
   1. Membership is free.

   2. Membership is maintained by sending an updated list of the participant's species to the appropriate coordinator on a quarterly basis, starting in the first quarter of the calendar year.

   3. The members must have access to the mailing list either directly or through another member.

   4. The members must have an e-mail address or have access through another member, in order that they can receive news, data, the SBT-list etc.

   5. Members that do not send an up-dated list of their species on request by the coordinators will get a warning. After 3 warnings a member can be banned from the SAA. 6. Other bannable offences are covered in § 10.

3. SAA Code of Ethics
   The Code of Ethics was written as a guide for those members who exchange fish and eggs through the SBT or over the Cynolebias list. If everyone has the same assumptions about mail exchanges, the chances of misunderstandings are greatly diminished. These guidelines have been officially approved by the SAA Advisory Board.
   1. No members are to exploit natural populations of South American Annual for financial gain. It is accepted that from limited collections the collector(s) may sell or trade on eggs or a small number fish in the spirit of the public interest.

   2. It is expected that no member will only make one sex available to the public through fish store sales etc... Both sexes are to be made available where the sex ratio of the fish makes this feasible.

   3. Fish that are offered should be clearly sexable and in top condition. Any deviation from this should be clearly stated in the listing.

   4. All nomenclature should be correct. Location codes should be included, if known.

   5. Eggs should be shipped only when fertility is apparent. Eggs should not be shipped too close to hatching date.

   6. Live delivery of fish is guaranteed during those months favourable to trading (Spring to Autumn). Shipments between Autumn and Spring are made at the buyers risk. Any deviation from this should be clearly stated in the listing. Shipments should be appropriately packaged to insure survival. The recipient should notify the shipper immediately of the condition of the shipment. It is expected that eggs will be refunded where possible provided that the eggs were received and wet within the constrains of the species' incubation time.

   7. The following procedure should be used during the months that live delivery is guaranteed:
      1. If fish or eggs arrive dead, the water should be removed from the container and the dead material should be returned to the sender, if requested.

      2. The fish and eggs should be replaced by the sender at no charge. Postage costs will be the responsibility of the recipient.

      3. If the fish or eggs are no longer available, money should be refunded, less the postage costs of the initial shipment.

      4. Substitutions will be made at the buyers request only.

   8. All orders should be shipped within two weeks of receipt unless special arrangements have been made, or during winter months when shipments are made weather permitting. If delay is necessary the person ordering should be notified immediately.

   9. A check covering the price of fish and eggs, plus postage should accompany the order. It is not recommended to send cash through the mail and, if done, will be at the buyers risk. It is advisable to hold all checks until the status of the shipment is known.

   10. Shipping containers will be returned promptly unless the shipper indicates otherwise.

   11. Persons involved in fish and egg transactions are free to make any mutually agreed upon changes to these procedures.

   12. In the event of a disagreement, the parties concerned should make every effort to settle the matter themselves. If this is not possible, a detailed complaint should be made in writing to the Chairman. This Chairman will make a decision on the validity of the complaint and, if it has merit, will prohibit the offending party from advertising in the SBT until the matter is resolved satisfactorily. Serious matters should be brought to the attention of the Advisory Board as well. Duplicate correspondence should be sent to all parties concerned.

   13. The Advisory Board, can elect to punish an offending member by barring further listings in the SBT or by requiring that a performance bond be posted, amount to be determined by the Advisory Board. If listings are accepted, the offending party shall be considered to be on a six month probationary period. If performance is not satisfactory, or if the original problem has not been resolved by the offending party, the bond will become forfeit and the Advisory Board, may cause this parties name to be listed in the SBT and newsletter as a member who does not meet his obligations and/or may cause the party to be permanently banned from advertising in the SBT. The offending person may also become subject to expulsion from the SAA.

   14. Transactions among SAA members are bound by this Code of Ethics provided the transactions were initiated by a listing in the SBT or between members of the SAA over the cynolebias or SBT list from one or more affected parties. Listers are urged to check the membership list to insure that the person ordering is a member of the SAA. Representatives of the SAA cannot assist in any matters involving non-SAA members.

4. The Advisory Board: Posts and Tasks
   1. The Chairman
      1. The Chairman maintains oversight of all activities within the SAA and is accountable for all decisions he/she makes on behalf of the SAA.

      2. The Chairman is responsible for sending out regular reports on group activities and ensure the fidelity and quality of communication.

   2. The Registrar
      1. The Registrar maintains the roster of members of the SAA and records new members who have applied for membership as well as provide each new member pertinent information about membership.

      2. The Registrar also maintains the quarterly census data.

      3. In the absence of the Chairman the Registrar serves as interim Chairman till the Chairman returns or a new one is elected.

      4. The Registrar is to maintain copies of all data pertaining to the SAA and its activities.

   3. The List Moderator
      1. The role of the list moderator is to maintain the Cynolebias and SBT lists. See that people are subscribed and unsubscribed swiftly and efficiently.

      2. The List Moderator also makes sure that communication on the forums is cordial and proceeds in the proper place and tone.

   4. Webs Master and Website Committee
      1. The Web Master is responsible for the maintenance and content of the website.

      2. The Web Master is to ensure that there is an up to date backup for all the data on the website.

      3. The Web Master and Website Committee members are to ensure that the website is as up to date as humanly possible.

   5. SBT Compiler
      1. The SBT Compiler's role is to receive and collate all fish and eggs trade lists of members who submit fish and egg lists.

      2. All anonymous trades are to be handled via the SBT Compiler.

      3. The SBT Compiler to ensure the validity of the collection codes and names of fishes advertise.

   6. Publication Editor
      1. The role of the Publication Editor is to referee the factual content of information related to systematics and other information of a scientific nature that is to be published in the Newsletter or on the Website.

   7. Species Maintenance Officer
      1. The role of the Species Maintenance Officer (SMO) is to keep track of the Species Maintenance Programs (SMP) underway within the SAA.

      2. The SMO is to request regular reports from the SMP leaders on a regular basis.

      3. The SMO is to manage the SMP volunteer base to ensure efficient use of volunteers towards the goal of species maintenance (see § 7.) within the SAA.

   8. New and Rare Species Officer
      1. The New and Rare Species Officer (NRSO) is to keep track of the progress of the New and Rare Species Breeders (NRSB) and to liase with the SBT Compiler in regards to species distribution.

      2. The NRSO is to manage volunteers to best ensure the establishment and propagation of new and rare species within the SAA and killifish hobby.

   9. The Cynolebais List Thread Collator
      1. The Thread Collator task is to monitor threads over the Cynolebias list and generate and file a report with the Web Master and Publication Editor. This report will be posted on the website to serve as general reference in regards the topic covered.

      2. If the thread is later expanded the Thread Collator is to update the existing report.

   10. The Advisory Committee
       1. The Advisory board (of no more than 12 members) oversees group policy and management. It arbitrates disputes. All its members fulfil a role in the governing of the group as described above or simply as advisors lending their experience in the killifish hobby and organisations.

       2. As a rule all business of the Committee must be agreed upon by at least 75% of those participants voting within (some period of time) after a vote has been called by the Chairman. It is the responsibility of the Chairman to place issues up for approval, however, voting may also be requested by Committee members as well as the Chairman.

       3. The Chairman has the right to veto any proposal if he/she does not believe it to be in the best interest of the SAA or that a decision may be inappropriate (based on need of additional information) at that time. (A Chairman's veto can be overridden by a vote of 100% of all voting members of the Committee).

       4. In the absence of a full 12 member committee the absentee vote falls in favour of the majority. In the absence of a majority the Chairman has power of that vote.

5. Contact Persons for the National Killifish Associations (NKA)
   1. Each NKA should have a contact person to the SAA.

   2. The contact person must be a member of both the NKA and the SAA.

   3. The contact person is responsible for all contact between his NKA and the SAA members that are members there. That includes written information in the newsletter of the NKA and other public service arrangements.

   4. He/she must inform the Chairman of the SAA of all SAA related activities when they find that these are of general interest or can be a model for other NKA or the SAA.

   5. NKA should inform the SAA Group of SAA activities within their organisation and where possible share information of a maintenance or systematic nature.

6. The Cynolebias Mailing List
   1. The mailing list is the forum for the members.

   2. The Cynolebias mailing list is used for the discussion of the South American annuals and for other relevant topics like activities within the SAA etc.

   3. The language on the lists is English.

   4. It should be noted that English is not the mother-language for a big part of the members, therefore misunderstandings can happen and it is for this reason that the language used be polite and civil. These misunderstanding should as a starting point be understandable and polite.

   5. It is advised that irony and idiom expressions are avoided. Irony cannot be understood in its written form and idiom expressions can cause misunderstandings.

   6. The language must be polite and any insults will cause a warning.

   7. After 3 warnings a member is banned from the list.

   8. Also non-members are free to use the list as long as they stick to the same rules as the members. Non-members can be banned after the 2nd warning.

   9. It is not allowed to ask for fish on the mailing list.

7. Sell/Buy/Trade list (SBT-List).
   1. Every member of the SAA receives the sell/buy/trade list.

   2. Every member has the right to use the SBT-list.

   3. The fish asked for on the SBT-list must be South American Annuals.

   4. The fish offered on the SBT-list must be South American Annuals.

   5. The exception from this is that you can ask for a South American Annual and wish to trade with species from other groups.

   6. It is allowed to sell/buy/trade food cultures, books and plants.

8. Breeding Programs and Species Maintenance Programs
   1. Members of the SAA are free to initiate a Breeding Program (BP) and/or Species Maintenance Program (SMP) within any area of the SAA.

   2. Breeding Programs
      1. The purpose of a BP is to develop a substantial and stable population of breeding fish for a particular species and the establishment of the species in the hobby. Once a stable population has been reached the BP can and should be converted into a maintenance project (SMP).

      2. Those involved in BP are not obligated to maintain the fish for any length of time longer than they see fit.

      3. Those who are part of a BP are obligated to report their progress to the NRSO.

      4. BP participants are to make available at least one pair for distribution to other people where possible .

   3. Breeding Programs
      1. The goal of an SMP should be to maintain a stable population of a particular species for at least three years. This can be independent of the strain of the species or be strain specific depending on the taxonomic status of the species in question or nature of the SMP.

      2. Each participating member should strive to maintain a breeding population preferably composed of more than one pair of that fish. Group spawning is preferable to small breeding groups composed of only one male.

      3. Each SMP should have at least 3 participating members.

      4. Regular fish or egg exchanges are to take place between members to ensure genetic fitness. An outcross should be done at least every third generation.

      5. New participants to an SMP should be provided with as diverse a founding population as can be provided by the members of the MP.

   4. The maintenance of records is important. The SMP/BP Leader should maintain such a record and regularly liase with the members of his group to ensure up to date record keeping. In more formal programs, this record is called the Stud Book; however, at a minimum the "Stud Book" should indicate participants and source of the fish entered into the BP or SMP.

   5. Participants must report periodically on the status of their fish at the discretion of the "Stud Book" keeper. For simplicity reporting could be as simple as number of fish he or she has of the species in question as well as give an indication of their age and breeding fitness. Also of importance is the state of spawns in development/storage. The overall security of the population of that species should also be reported on . Sex ratio data for fish over 3 months in age may also be requested.

   6. SMP and BP Leaders should assume the responsibility to recruit new participants as well as capture/dispose of stock of retiring participants.

   7. SMP leaders should report their activities to the SMPO on a quarterly basis. Like wise with BP Leaders to the NRSO

   8. SMP and BP Leaders are encouraged to collect additional information about their efforts including such data as spawning temperatures, incubation temperatures, incubation times, rearing temperatures and sex ratios. Additional data such foods, spawning materials and water quality data would also be helpful. Such data is to be compiled as a guide to maintaining this fish in captivity.

9. Honorary Membership
   1. If a person has done an extra effort for the hobby he or she can be a honorary member of the SAA.

   2. To become an honorary member they may be nominated by a member of the SAA and approved by a vote of the Committee.

   3. A honouree member gets free beer (or drink of his choice) from the SAA members he or she should meet at a killifish conference local or abroad.

10. The Rules of the SAA.
    1. The rules of the SAA are revised annually in the first quarter of each year.

    2. A year after the inception of the Chairman he is to report back on activities and stand for re-election.

11. Bannable Offences
    1. Refusal to supply a species list at the time of the annual census (August through September).

    2. Perpetrating an action or actions contravening the SAA Code of Ethics.

    3. Misconduct on the e-mail lists or abuse of other members.

The above Constitution was agreed upon by the Advisory Committee in March.

2  The Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee now consists of 11 members (excluding myself) who will hopefully be ready to take over the running of the SAA in the event I suddenly cannot. These 11 members are kept informed as to what is going on regarding the behind the scenes running of the SAA.

David Baker (UK) and Maikel Meijer (Netherlands) do most of the hard work (maintaining the webpage and roster respectively). Roberto Cazzulani (Italy) helps David out as far as the webapge is concerned. Ralph Tran is our new editor and will be working on our e-publication efforts. The remaining members, Lee Harper (USA), Ron Anderson (USA), Roger Brousseau (USA), Robert Ellerman (USA), Bruno Gallerano (Brazil), Jim Robinson (Canada), Dave Wood (UK) and Martin Tvertsed (Denmark) all help out where needed especially as regards helpful advice.

3  State of the Webpage

The webpage has seen many behind the scenes upgrades. The site now runs on a script (on David's computer at least) that automaticly updates and manages the site (God help us if David disappears!). Many new images have been added and we have data sheets for most of the species containing location and taxonomy information. Lots of information is still needed as regards captive care and maintenance.

One idea presently being explored is a move to http://freeshell.org. This would facilitate the scripts to be run on the server and make many other features possible. The 300mb space would set the SAA back $36 as a once off purchase for life. We would get our own domain name (http://saa.org) and e-mail address (saa@saa.org) which would liberate us from the long URL we currently use as well as having to piggy back on other people's e-mail accounts. This would move the group towards more e-autonomy. We welcome input (and donations) from the members. Freeshell offers many other features too, one is virtual hosting where we could setup pages for members and generate e-mail accounts for a nominal yearly fee.

David has this to say:

``You asked where do I see the web site going over the next 12 months? Good question!

As for content I am aiming for us to double the size of the web site broadly: (a) breeding information (b) biotope information (c) collection information (d) a photo/drawing for every species (e) expand the members area (d) SBT transferred to the members area

I have some prototype work on geography, regions, rivers, biotopes and interactive maps. More articles.

As a group I would like to see species maintenance gain a stronger hold and more people contributing. I think that we need stronger ties back to regional and national clubs. ''

Another new feature introduced by David will be covered further on in the newsletter.

4  State of the Membership Roster and e-mail list

Maikel has this to say:

``So far we had 39 new members this year. That makes a total of 183 members. But there was a poor response to three requests sent out months ago for people who want to remain a member to reply to that mail. I have sent another e-mail and got some responses. But still there were about 60 people that didn't reply or the mail was sent back to me-that means undeliverable for some reason. I am still trying to locate the people but it's a hell of a job...

``The Cynolebias mailing list has 199 members and the SBT list 120.

``I want to ask the people to inform me if they get a new e-mail address if they want to keep me informed. That is one of the problems. Some members changed their e-mail addresses and I still have only have their old e-mail address on my members list."

5  Results of March 2003 Census

Results of the census are shown in figures 1 to 6. A full list of strains for 2003 is attached in appendix A. In the figures, N represents the total number of colonies per species. S represents the number of strains per species maintained. Light colours represent the results from August 2002, dark colours represent the numbers for March 2003.

5.1  Vital Statistics

59 of the 160 members responded with data. The request was for information regarding what species are maintained and how difficult their care was (on a scale of 1 to 10). There were a total of 83 species were submitted to the census compared to 71 in the previous census.

The most popular fish is still Austrolebias nigripinnis with 29 colonies¹.

5.2  Species Data

Figure 1, page pageref, shows the results for last year's most popular fish: Austrolebias nigripinnis. Several fish species have not faired well since the last census. Of note is Austrofundulus limnaeus and Aphyolebias rubrocaudatus. While the latter was a new unestablished species the former is an old, formally well established species. Has it vanished or have we simply missed it in this year's census?

Figure 2, page pageref, shows some of the more rare and sought after species. From the graph it can be seen that Gnatholebias zonatus is doing ok. It has remained constant while its sister species (and import) Gnatholebias hoignei has lost one colony. Is this also just a glitch from the survey system or is the hoignei not as popular as zonatus

Figure 1:

Figure 2:

Figure 3:

Figure 4:

Figure 5:

Figure 6:

Camperlolebias brucei has tripled in number!

Cynolebias albipunctatus has also grown since the last census. Maybe this monster will gain a few more devotees...

Leptolebias aureoguttatus has remained constant in spite of the difficulty in maintaining it. L. fulminensis has lost half its number while L. minimus has doubled. We have also gained L. opalescens. While some authorities will dispute the validity of fulminensis-favouring instead the name opalescens-communication with our Brazilian counterparts suggests that the two are distinct entities regardless of the name.

Maratecoara lacortei has been another big winner in the six month gap between the August and March census.

Turning to Figure 3, page pageref, we see that Maratecoara formosa has faired much worse than its sister species. It has lost ³/₄ its number. Micromoema xiphophora has made a return but with it have come reports of badly skewed sex ratios. A large effort is needed to uncover this species' secrets and establish it in the hobby.

Plesiolebias sp. Xingu River is no worse off than it was last time but one would expect this fish to be widely spread by now. It seems that it too has some breeding secrets no-one has yet discovered or divulged.

Pterolebias longipinnis has suffered some but in its place we have Pterolebias bokermanni that was previously viewed as P. longipinnis. Many of the longipinnis colonies are probably bokermanni waiting to be identified.

Figure 4, page pageref, shows some of the old favourites and some new introductions. All of the Rachovia species are doing well as is Renova oscari.

All of the Simpsonichthys are doing well. Of note is the return of S. flammeus that was absent from the last census. This is a new import from Brazil that will hopefully soon be established and distributed among the members. A maintenance group is desperately needed for this species. S. alternatus seems to be doing well.

Figure 5, page pageref, holds most of the remaining Simpsonichthys species. Here S. igneus has returned and papiliferus has made its way onto the list with three colonies. This fish should prove as big a winner as its sister species S. whitei that has returned with force to the census. S. marginatus seems to have established itself in the hobby. It has been reduced to one strain "Barro Alto" as this is the type and only location that is now a rice paddy rendering this fish extinct in the wild.

Figure 6, page pageref, shows that Simpsonichthys whitei has nearly doubled its number. As expected its low representation is only a glitch of the survey process.

Terranatos dolichopterus has taken a knock. The little fish with its special needs seems too much of a challenge for some people...

5.3  General commentary

Gnatholebais zonatus is fairing well while G. hoigeni had reduced in number. We have lost several A. nigripinnis strains and one colony while the numbers of S. whitei have doubled suggesting last years census to have simply missed the people maintaining them.

The top 10 species are given in Table 1. Terranotos dolichopterus was in the top ten last last August and had dropped all the way back to slot number 17 (down from 16 to 11 colonies). What this means remains to be seen. Hopefully this is just a correction and not a trend. There is still demand for this species so one expects the number of colonies to grow not diminish.

While S. alternatus seems stable, S. marginatus is gaining popularity. Also stable is Leptolebais aureoguttatus. Its sister species still appear rare in the hobby with the exception of L. minimus which has jumped from one colony to seven.

In the last census report the following species were listed of being special concern:

Cynolebias perforatus
Cynolebias albipunctatus
Cynopoecilius melanotaenia
Leptolebias minimus
Leptolebias fluminensis
Megalebias cheradophilus
Simpsonichthys flammeus
Simpsonichthys igneus

All of the above have done well except for M. cheradophilus which had vanished from the census. Only three have seen an increase in the number of colonies while the other four remain static but not secure in the hobby. Action must be taken to secure the futures of S. igneus, flammeus, L. fulminensis and C. perforatus.

Several other species also remain scarce requiring a concerted effort to ensure their survival in the hobby. So far the efforts to establish a network of breeders who can breed these rare fish have not been successful. Even more difficult is getting information regarding how to breed these fish. Hearing about what methods have failed would be just as useful as knowing what works.

With that I ask that those members with skill in breeding SAAs contact the New and Rare Species Coordinator (N&RSC) (to be appointed, in the mean time you can let me have the information) and register yourself. Likewise, those of you with rare fish should contact the N&RSC and inform of any extra eggs you should have that can be distributed to one of the breeders for distribution.

What is also needed is more data. Only 38% of the membership submitted data. More data is required to obtain a clearer picture of the trends in the SAA hobby. We need to know what are the artifacts and what are the true trends. During the next census (August/September) please submit your fish list!!!

6  Species maintenance

6.1  Simpsonichthys alternatus

The Alternatus Maintenance Group is now run by Curt Smith. Curt is starting up and needs breeders to contribute eggs and fish.

6.2  Simpsonichthys marginatus

The Marginatus Maintenance Group is run by Dan Katz. Obviously Dan is doing a good job... If you want to get in touch to help out with the group or get some information e-mail him.

6.3  Austrolebais nigripinnis

This group, run by David Baker, is just beginning. No strain has yet been decided on. If you would like to help out contact David. The idea with this group is to ensure that nigripinnis eggs are always available to beginners.

6.4  Simpsonichthys whitei

This SMG was initiated not to preserve the species or any one strain but rather to serve as a source of eggs and/or fish of this species to new members. This species tends to go through boom and bust cycles in the hobby but never seems in any real danger of disappearing. As it often vanishes to nearly nothing as well as lends itself to the propagation of poor quality strains it is important to ensure the maintenance of good quality strains for prosperity.

For these reasons a breeding program has begun to select for strong stock and good colour. Head way has been made in strengthening the albino strain and it is hoped to likewise boost old aquarium strains as well as retaining the integrity of established strains still in possession of a location code.

It is hoped that many people will join this SMG as breeders so that eventually a `welcome' package can be offered to new members including Simpsonichthys whitei and Austrolebias nigripinnis.

One matter of concern is the new species Simpsonichthys papilliferus which may be confused with S. whitei. It is hoped that identifying pictures of both species will soon be available on the webpage. Those with both species will attest to the fact that it is difficult mixing up the two strains as the males are strikingly different.

This project is currently being run my myself (tgenade@freeshell.org).

6.5  Cynolebias albipunctatus

Stefano Valde, valdekil@tin.it, reports that this fish is doing well. Some people are having problems getting good fry but so far there are no serious problems. The major drawback is a lack of interested parties willing to house such a monster.

7  Future Plans

7.1  Online SAA Shopping List?

David Baker has been very busy with the webpage and has installed an online database that will make the census data easier to obtain and manage. Every SAA member now has entry in the database that contains his name and the species he keeps. These entries can be modified by the members when they login to the Members Only Area.

The idea is that with this option the census will become more dynamic. Once a month the census will be downloaded and summarized enabling us to track the progression of species over the year(s). The major drawback is the lack of data from members. A large percentage of the members do not contribute to the census. Robert Ellerman has came up with the solution to this.

In an e-mail to me some weeks back Robert pointed out the lack of activity over the SBT list and how few people are actually using the SAA to distribute fish and eggs. This is very sad as one of the goals of the SAA is to facilitate the exchange of fish and eggs. This lack of trade also effect our other goal: being a platform for species conservation. If no-one is trading fish then the rarer fish are also not being exchanged.

Robert's plan was this: along with the online census list the contributers to each data point. So along with the number of Simpsonichthys igneus in the hobby one will also see the e-mail address of the person who submitted that data. This raises two problems: 1) what about anonymity for our Brazilian members who could get into big trouble, 2) how do we ensure that this remains an incentive to join the SAA and submit your species data?

David Baker will take the monthly census update and include a link that will generate a form where in you can enter your details and the species you are requesting, what you have to trader etc... No e-mail details or names will be divulged as to whom the post is going. It is then up to the people receiving the e-mail to respond. We assume that because they are submitting the data that they are willing to respond.

All of this will take place in the Members Only Area. You will have to become a member of the SAA to access the shopping list/census. To become a member you have to submit your name and details along with the list of SAAs you maintain. Of course if you are only beginning with SAAs and have none then you can state that on your census form.

The monthly census data will be made available without the contact links to everyone so that everyone can know how the strains are doing.

7.2  Getting your club involved

Another idea by David Baker is that of recruiting members from your local club.

The ``Local Area Killi Club'' is the biggest asset to species maintenance. It is not to uncommon that the 50% of a species population is in one area. Fundulopanchax walkeri Kutunse GH2 was at one time only surviving in the constituencies of the Bay Area Killifish Association². Through Wright Huntley's killifish conservation activities this fish has once more spread around the world. Likewise, Simp. alternatus and marginatus is very common in some areas of the US. It is also these small clubs that stand the best chance of species maintenance because they allow for more efficient genetic exchange between colonies.

We (the SAA) have to reach out to these clubs and bring them up to date with our conservation programs and ensure that they have access to information we have. Also, we have to tell people we are there. David has the brilliant idea of setting up stalls at conventions and the like so as to get the SAA some attention. We have to grow as a group so we can better accomplish our goals. Again David contributed in this regard by suggesting we assemble a SAA welcome package comprising a short presentation, badges etc... Perhaps a CD or DVD with SAA info.

Of course we need a draw card to attract people to the SAA.

7.3  Enter the SAA Study Group Magazine

The South American Annual Study Group Magazine is a new idea in production. The initiative is being headed by Ralph Tran (eclod@eclod.org) who has volunteered to be editor of the magazine.

The goal of the magazine it to act partially as a year in SAA taxonomy in review where all the new species are presented with illustrations and information. Also with this will be articles on our favourite fish: SAAs. The hope is also collate some of the more informative treads we have had on the Cynolebias list.

It is hoped that we will be able to send out the pdf in December. An html version will be posted in the Members Only Area but in order to safe guard the intellectual property of contributers the beautiful photos will be lower quality.

It is hoped that another edition will be published next December. What is really hoped is that there will be such overwhelming support that we will be able to publish a magazine two or three times a year.

To do this we need information from you. We need your photos, articles, knowledge and experience. The type of information we are looking for is breeding information on difficult species such as Leptolebias, Plesiolebias and Micromoema. We are also looking for information on easy species such as Simp. whitei and the like.

To make this a success we need your support.

7.4  A Call for Maintenance Data

Sometime later this year or early next year a form will be sent out. This form will be similar to the census forms that were sent out when the SAA first begun. What we will be looking at is not the number of fish you have or what fish you have but rather how you maintain them. What water temperature, hardness etc... and what you feed and over what you spawn your fish. The idea is to gather as much information as possible about each fish. The more information we have the better our chance of maintaining the fish long-term in the hobby.

7.5  Conclusions

The SAA is well on track to becoming the central hub for SAA trade and information. The frame work is there and is being expanded and refined. We have hard working volunteers who are making this happen. What we lack is members submissions as far as information is concerned. We need more practical information on the webpage. We need more census data.

A final thought:

We don't know how the pyramids were built because the builders left no notes.

A  Full results of census

Footnotes:

¹A colony is here defined as breeding population of a species or strain in a fish keeper's collection.

²In all likelihood Kenjiro Tanaka in Japan was also maintaining this species along with his 26 year old strain of Nothobranchius sp. Warfa Blue

© 2003 South American Annuals Study Group