Entering the market late: will dan's fish sales decline due to congo river fish
-
bettaMagenta - Posts: 439
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:01 am
Entering the market late: will dan's fish sales decline due to congo river fish
I've been working on an African regional river tank and it's been a really cool project. If you're into that sort of thing, I highly recommend checking out this video - it's got some great info on the fish I'm keeping.
Re: Entering the market late: will dan's fish sales decline due to congo river fish
I completely agree with his points, and it's not just about the Congo - many shippers in the region struggle with infrastructure. It's mind-boggling to think about how things operate in Central Africa. I recall negotiating with a company that factored in taxi fare for their estimates, despite not owning a vehicle to collect the fish. They'd have to take 3-day taxi rides just to bring back the fish.
In these entrepreneurial cultures, regulation is scarce, so bribery and corruption are rampant. The elite are incredibly wealthy, yet many city areas lack access to running water. Anything you build can be taken away, often by the authorities in some countries. The DRC Congo is still a war zone, and I wouldn't dare venture into the interior. Even Gabon, considered the safest country in the region, recently experienced a military coup - the newly installed President is the cousin of the ousted one.
What's striking is that parts of the capital city still don't have running water. Exporters have to boil rice just to feed the fish. I've had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people, truly kind-hearted individuals. However, the harsh reality is that things just don't work well, with extreme poverty existing alongside great wealth and dysfunction everywhere.
That video really drives the point home for me. African fish are my absolute favorites, but they're rapidly disappearing from the hobby. I don't know Dan personally, but he comes across as a very diplomatic person.
I've been on the periphery of the hobby, warning that we need to learn how to breed these fish or risk losing them. That video is a stark reminder of the "or" – it's a wake-up call.
In these entrepreneurial cultures, regulation is scarce, so bribery and corruption are rampant. The elite are incredibly wealthy, yet many city areas lack access to running water. Anything you build can be taken away, often by the authorities in some countries. The DRC Congo is still a war zone, and I wouldn't dare venture into the interior. Even Gabon, considered the safest country in the region, recently experienced a military coup - the newly installed President is the cousin of the ousted one.
What's striking is that parts of the capital city still don't have running water. Exporters have to boil rice just to feed the fish. I've had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people, truly kind-hearted individuals. However, the harsh reality is that things just don't work well, with extreme poverty existing alongside great wealth and dysfunction everywhere.
That video really drives the point home for me. African fish are my absolute favorites, but they're rapidly disappearing from the hobby. I don't know Dan personally, but he comes across as a very diplomatic person.
I've been on the periphery of the hobby, warning that we need to learn how to breed these fish or risk losing them. That video is a stark reminder of the "or" – it's a wake-up call.
Re: Entering the market late: will dan's fish sales decline due to congo river fish
That video really resonated with me. I recall my time in the Congo - it was still Zaire back then - and the reality was, there were no shippers to speak of. The country was in shambles, a complete wreck. This was the mid '90s, and while some progress has been made since, there's still a long way to go.
Re: Entering the market late: will dan's fish sales decline due to congo river fish
It's heartbreaking for both the fish and the people, really.