| In the eyes of the non-diving public, the
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| | much of it can be transplanted to the
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| underwater hunter is a guy who walks out
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| | aquarium environment with great success.
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| of the water with a spear, a mask, a big
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| | Actually, the limitations are more often
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| wide grin, and a big dead fish. To a
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| | set by preconceptions than by nature. To
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| degree, the picture is an accurate one:
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| | the average aquarist, the only fish that
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| certainly big-game hunting has always
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| | seem appropriate for life in a glass tank
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| been and continues to be an important
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| | are fresh-water topicals. Period.
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| aspect of the sport.
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| | The skin-diver is just as likely to think
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| But in recent months there has been an
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| | in terms of a few marine species only.
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| enormous upsurge of interest in
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| | Both frames of reference are
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| small-game hunting for specimens that are
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| | unnecessarily narrow. Good aquarium fish
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| caught and kept, and not killed. Not too
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| | can be found in most of the coastal areas
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| long ago only a few of the hundreds of
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| | of the U. S., and even the inland waters
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| aquarists' clubs in the U. S. had one or
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| | contain interesting and beautiful
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| two divers as members. Today there are
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| | candidates for the home set-up.
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| several societies composed entirely of
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| | There are a few factors to consider
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| diver-aquarists, and several thousand
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| | before you start bagging tenants for a
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| unaffiliated collectors who have found
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| | tank. Most species that swim out in the
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| that the aquarium hobby opens up a big
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| | open do relatively poorly in restricted
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| and practically virgin territory in the
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| | aquarium surroundings, and should
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| underwater world.
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| | generally be avoided. Choose varieties
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| No one has a better opportunity to see
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| | that swim close to the bottom, in the
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| and collect exceptional specimens than
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| | protective cover of kelp or coral, or in
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| the skin or scuba diver. In fact divers
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| | and around submerged objects.
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| whose contact with underwater life has
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| | Consider also the fish's size. Really big
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| sharpened their interest and observation
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| | or even fairly big species are
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| sometimes know more about the subject
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| | unsuitable, of course, but young examples
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| than land-locked marine biologists; more
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| | of medium-sized species are sometimes
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| than one diver has come up with a new
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| | more appropriate than they may seem:
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| species that's totally unknown to the
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| | aquarium life has the effect of stunting
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| professionals. Anyone who spends his time
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| | growth, because fish tend not to outgrow
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| exploring down under gets an intimate
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| | their environment.
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| knowledge of submarine life that
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| | The equipment used to collect fish can be
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| translates into a head start in learning
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| | as simple as a wide-necked glass jar or a
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| the arts of the aquarist.
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| | small hand net. Best of the latter is a
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| Divers discover through direct
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| | long-handled butterfly net made of nylon
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| observation what environment various
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| | marquisette or mosquito netting, and held
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| species require, what they eat, how they
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| | still in the water so that it flows out
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| nest and spawn, what kind of cover they
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| | with the current.
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| like to live in, and so on.
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| | When fish swim into it (which they're
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| Still, the diver who wants to maintain
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| | more likely to do if there's some
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| his underwater acquisitions in an
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| | crushed-shellfish bait nearby), the trap
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| aquarium has a number of new skills to
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| | is locked by turning the handle 90
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| learn. Killing fish is usually easier
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| | degrees. Another tool is the slurp gun,
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| than collecting them; and collecting them
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| | which consists of a piece of metal or
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| is often easier than keeping them alive.
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| | plastic tubing about two feet long and
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| But the result is worth some effort. As
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| | with a 1 1/2-inch bore, with a tire-pump
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| trophies go, a well-kept aquarium stocked
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| | rod and plunger added to provide vacuum
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| with beautiful, thriving fish can't begin
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| | and suction.
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| to be matched by taxidermy's best.
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| | Many beautiful species of fish can be
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| Where, What and How to Collect
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| | caught and kept alive using this
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| Anywhere there's water there's life, and
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| | equipment.
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