Aquatic Paradise Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) So I am currently collecting fish in Cambodia and went to a pond on the side of the road, I could not believe the number of sparkling gourami's I was able to catch within a 50cm area. I just stood there and kept scooping in the same spot every 30 seconds, each scoop catching 1 - 5 fish. The pond was quite large, approx. 2 meters x 50 meters x possibly 1 meter deep at the deepest point, almost completely covered in plants. Also we were at a market the other night and for sale were some Cantor's Softshell Turtle Hatchlings, these are an incredible species which grow to 2 meters in length but unfortunately are endangered because locals keep collecting and eating them. We managed to save 3 from being eaten, at $1 each, and have the smallest one which we are feeding up to go back with the other 2. They will be raised until they are large enough to go back into the wild in a safe (as safe as can be) area. Here are some pics and a video - Edited November 11, 2013 by Aquatic Paradise video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Nice,,,, I went to the USA and saw our fire tail gudgeon for $9 each. Are the turtles only endangered in the wild? because if you can buy them for a dollar each at the market then they can't be too rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatic Paradise Posted November 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 The IUCN Red List listing of 'Endangered' means the entire species as far as I am aware. As far as I know, and I have done a fair bit of research on them, there is no locals and only a few conservation organisations breeding them. $1 is about the daily wage for a local Khmere unskilled (this even includes cement workers) adult, so when you consider they can spend 1 day collecting the clutch of turtles and another couple of days selling them, that is at max one weeks work and in return they get 4 times the local wage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saffa Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 WOW recently went to thailand Bangkok and at the Chatuchak (or Jatujak; Thai: จตุจักร) weekend market in Bangkok which is the world's largest weekend market. Frequently called J.J., it covers over 35 acres (0.14 km²) and contains upwards of 15,000 stalls. It is estimated that the market receives 200,000 visitors each day. There was bucket. bags and containers filled with these soft shelled turtles and even had the white albino ones. Didnt really take note of the price but very common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_c265 Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Those Gouramis are beautiful mate, very nice fish and great to see they're common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatic Paradise Posted November 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2013 Wow Saffa, a whole clutch (possibly several clutches) of albinos makes me think that perhaps there are a lot more breeders for the pet trade than I was able to find. Although I am not a fan of how many animals are treated at the Jatujak market, at least this shows that people see value in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
