IMPRESSIONS FROM THE 2002 A.N.G.F.A. NATIONAL CONVENTION.

By Dr Bruce Hansen

Port Macquarie (Day1)

For anyone interested in native fish keeping the annual ANGFA Conventions are the highlight of various activities on the calender. I have attended every single one of them thus far and have enjoyed them all. It is a golden opportunity to catch up with "fish friends" both old and new, and find out what's happening around the ridges from the experts in the various fields. The venue changes each year and this state-wise rotation encourages attendance from more local identities each time.

The convention proper clicked into gear from 8.00 am on Saturday morning following a superb breakfast that was included in the venue tariff. After the scramble of final registrations and distribution of Convention packs (which were enclosed in a useful and attractive "Streamwatch" backpack) we were tempted by an array of merchandise from national and local groups, the most spectacular being the convention shirts. These high-quality polo shirts were snapped up quickly and featured an Empire gudgeon, in breeding colours (artist: Martyn Robinson) as the pocket logo against a mid-blue background. The trade room featured an attractively set-up tank of local native species as well as the range of raffle prizes donated through the generosity of our sponsors who were also featured in the Convention booklet with the cover illustration of the same empire gudgeon.

The introductory opening slide-show featured personalities and events from ANGFA excursions over the years and evoked many fond memories and a many laughs, especially the eye-opening "end". After brief national and local group welcoming remarks our first speaker was Dave Wilson. "Darwin" Dave has been our representative in the Territory from way back and knows almost "everything" about how to find and care for almost any "critter" or plant from the Top End. His presentation "Fish bothering in remote areas of the Top End and some of the people you meet" showed us locations that few others get to see as well as local identities and of course left us all starry-eyed with new "wish-lists" of places to survey.

Martyn Robinson from the Australian Museum has an extensive range of interests in "things natural" and an equally extensive experience in researching, publishing and liaising to pass on his findings to others. Martyn's presentation, "Mudskipper basics" introduced us to these fascinating creatures as well as informing us about their special anatomical, functional and behavioural adaptations so characteristic of the group. His talk detailed Australian species especially, and besides identification on morphological features allowed us to confidently predict identity from habitat preference as each species has a zone of "occupation". I suspect many of the hobbyists in the audience will seriously consider keeping mudskippers after this session.

After morning tea and a chat our next presentation was Bob Wong and "Male-male competition and female choice in the Pacific blue-eye". Bob's academic achievements are massive and we are grateful for his willingness to share them with us. Many ANGFA members were happy to assist Bob here and there in his researches and he was grateful for that help. Bob made many friends at the convention with his cheerful and friendly attitude. I will never forget him saying that he was a bit of a "fish nut" but, "I'm not as nutty as many of you guys!" His research was the sort of stuff we fishwatchers love and obviously involved many hours of observation. The conclusion was that females prefer males that spend more time courting (rather than the winners in the aggression stakes) and that they produce larger hatchings with the preferred male. He also produced a fascinating phylogenetic tree for the various local forms of Pacific blue-eyes based on DNA analysis and where they fit in with the other species. A lively question time discussion revealed how interested the audience were.

Our next item was a double act from Paul Smith , who is an environmental scientist with CRL and Rob Wager, aquatic consultant and regular ANGFA contributor. They collaborated on a project on North Stradbroke Island in Moreton Bay where the sand mining company (CRL) were concerned that their operations near Little Canalpin Creek might significantly impact on the population of Oxleyan Pygmy Perch therein. As part of their proactive program for the conservation of this species they designed a breeding facility that comprised an innovative outdoors setup and a backup indoors closed system. The outdoors system, using linked large plastic tubs with emergent plant biofilters, all under shade cloth have been extremely successful and are a credit to all concerned. The presentation came across well with lots of enthusiasm and humour and the audience trooped off to lunch with smiles on their faces.

After an excellent buffet lunch, the Oxleyan Pygmy Perch theme continued with Jamie Knight and "Distribution and habitat preferences of the endangered Oxleyan Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca oxleyana) in north-eastern New South Wales". Jamie has been entrusted by NSW Fisheries with the job of trying to define the distribution of this species in that state so that an appropriate recovery plan can be developed. His talk contained much useful practical information, especially on habitat preferences and also highlighted the problem of discrepancies between "listings" as well as underlined the fact that field scientists need to develop and practice better field handling techniques for captured specimens. His assertion that over-collecting was a significant endangering factor was disputed during question time.

Gunther Schmida was next and Australia's wildlife photographer of cold-blooded species shared his techniques with us in "How to take a "pretty" picture of aquatic life forms in an aquarium". Gunther has been a tried and true supporter of ANGFA and ANGFA conventions and this presentation was no exception to the usual superb standard. It became clear that not only is Gunther master of the equipment but the major reason that he takes such great shots is that he understands the animals themselves and strives to recreate their natural environment as closely as possible in the photographic tank. He passed on many priceless tips from his lifelong experience of this specialised pursuit and his passion for the animals and their environment continues unabated. It shows in his results! We look forward to many more years of being enthralled by his impressive images.

Following afternoon tea Christmas came early in the form of Andrew Lo who has delighted us before and this time filled in more than capably for the indisposed Heiko Bleher. Andrew is an economist with special interests in nature conservation and a special focus on the conservation of fish habitats in the remnant bushland around Sydney. His presentation was entitled "Fish Lover's Guide to the Galaxias of NSW: an Ecological Perspective". Andrew opens with attention-grabbing aids and holds your attention for the entire time, then leaves you wanting more. He told us about his struggles with developers to try to save part of the few remaining habitats for Galaxias brevipinnis near Sydney and introduced us to newly-discovered species of Galaxiids from northern NSW. No wonder his university students loved his classes. Throughout his enthusiasm enhanced the logic of the argument - we loved him too!

That brought the educational component of the day to a conclusion and a short break to spruce up for the Convention Dinner at Sails Resort's "Spinnakers" Restaurant. The food was excellent, the service good, the company all you could wish for and filled in a couple of hours very nicely. Then came one of the highlights of the convention for many - the ANGFA National Annual Convention Auction. There was a vast array of items before the hammer ranging from native fish (especially rare ones), aquatic plants, equipment, books and various bits and pieces of fish-related paraphernalia. The auction went off like clockwork , accelerated along by the "full weight" and humour of our auctioneer Steve Baines. There were some superb bargains knocked down on the evening and many happy new owners and it even finished early enough for some "stayers" to imbibe in a nightcap or two at the bar.