The aquarium hobby: can sinners become saints in freshwater fish conservation?

The harmful effects of aquariums on the conservation of inland fish and their ecosystems, mainly overfishingand introduction of exotic species, which justifies much of academia and other conservationists consider the fans of aquariums and conservation the environment are antagonistic. Despite the diversity of the group collective, the basis for this perception lies in the interests of aquariums as an industry and its consumers, where there are certainly aquarium, but also the general public who simply want to have a 'pet' or worse, an 'ornament' for home. Far from the simplistic view, the world of aquariums includes serious enthusiasts who contribute to the preservation and understanding of the aquatic fauna and their habitats, through their observations, knowledge of the environment and finance. Also, knowledge of techniques aquarium maintenance and breeding of a wide range of species has made some of them have participated in programs of captive breeding of endangered species co-working with academia. All these are some of the positive aspects of aquarium arising from an article published in Fish and Fisheries, the magazine considered the most prestigious in the world of ichthyology. The experts worked in the study are Alberto Maceda-Veiga linked to the Department of Animal Biology and Biodiversity Research Institute at UB (IRBio), but now Marie Curie researcher at Cardiff School of Biosciences, Omar Dominguez -Domínguez University Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (Mexico), John Lyons of the University of Wisconsin (USA) and Joseph Alacid Notary Association of scholars Group of Aquatic Ecosystems in Catalonia.

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