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.
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 feasable.
Fish that are offered should be clearly sexable and in top condition. Any deviation from this should be clearly stated in the listing.
All nomenclature should be correct. Location codes should be included, if known.
Eggs should be shipped only when fertility is apparent. Eggs should not be shipped too close to hatching date.
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.
The following procedure should be used during the months that live delivery is guaranteed:
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.
The fish and eggs should be replaced by the sender at no charge. Postage costs will be the responsibility of the recipient.
If the fish or eggs are no longer available, money should be refunded, less the postage costs of the initial shipment.
Substitutions will be made at the buyers request only.
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.
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.
Shipping containers will be returned promptly unless the shipper indicates otherwise.
Persons involved in fish and egg transactions are free to make any mutually agreed upon changes to these procedures.
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.
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.
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 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.