Actually, so fucking many species of fish are disappearing from nature’s ecosystems, especially rivers and streams because of things like poisonous chemicals/pesticides.

The fish hobby is a way to preserve nature. Take it from Heiko Blehr, a German researcher, author, photographer, and filmmaker. He is best known in the scientific community for his contribution to the exploration of fresh and brackish water habitats worldwide. He literally wrote the textbooks for caring for many of the most famous and sensitive fish like discus and has traveled the world many times over and discovered thousands of new fish species.

Here is a great documentary on him and how he does it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3KccNiFIVQ

here is the time code for what I'm referring to: https://youtu.be/S3KccNiFIVQ?t=2554

This is the disaster, even in Costa Rica, I was with my dear friend who lived there all his life as a geologist, we found seven creeks, not one fish. All poisoned. Barbasco is the poison root natives use all over the world to kill all the fish. You have to beat the root in pieces and squeeze it and pour it into the river and the fish die, so they don't have to catch them. The fish float to the top.

I've found this problem all over the world. The native people don't have hooks or nets but they have poison.

and those aquarists who say you shouldn't take the fish out of nature, leave them in nature, they don't know what they're saying. This is really disappointing, because I cannot see one place on this planet so far where really nature is protected.

downvote me all you want, nature is dying and it is up to us to preserve these creatures and protect them from climate and ecosystem disaster. But nooo, leave the fish in nature so it can die to poison or a decaying ecosystem and get completely wiped out. One of the world's leading researches is totally just full of shit tho right?

Being an activist for something you don't understand can easily do more harm than good and spread false information.