|
| |
Meet the
Speakers |
| Pam Chin has
been a Tropical Fish enthusiast for over 20 years. She has been working mainly with
Cichlids for the last 17 years and seriously concentrating on African Cichlids for the
last 12. Along with her husband Gary, they are currently maintaining over 200 aquariums in
their fish house filled with species from Lake Tanganyika and Malawi. She is a Honorary
Life Member of the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association (PCCA) where she has held a variety
of positions. Since 1997 she has been the Editor of the PCCA's award winning publication;
Cichlidae Communique. Her articles and column; "Ask Pam," in the
"Communique" have been reprinted by aquarium societies from Australia to Sweden. |
| Don Conkel
is recognized as the world's most authoritative figure in regard to observing, collecting,
and breeding North and Central American cichlids. With over 20 expeditions to Mexico and
Central America, Don has dedicated years of extensive research to compiling information
and photos that allow cichlid fanciers to identify these confusing taxa with authority. He
is the author of the TFH book Cichlids of North & Central America in which he shares
his knowledge and expertise with aquarium hobbyists around the world. Don also breeds most
of these rare and exotic cichlids on his fish farm in Florida where he welcomes visiting
hobbiests. |
Chuck Davis
needs no introduction in this Aquarium Society or any other Aquarium Society
throughout the country. Chuck has been keeping fish since the age of nine, and has been
involved with Aquarium Societies throughout most of his life. He is a Life Member of NJAS
and has held the positions of President, Secretary, Show Chairman (6 times), Workshop
Chairman (3 times), Editor (15 years), and ACA Chairman 1979. Chuck has also served on the
FAAS Board of Trustees, ACA Board of Trustees, and is a founding member of the American
Catfish Association. One year Chuck was bored, so he organized the second ACA convention
for the Atlantic Coast Cichlid Association. Chuck has also won over 200 fish show awards,
showing his fish over the years. Chuck is currently a columnist for AFM and has authored
"Society News" for the past ten years. He has had articles published in TFH, AFM
and FAMA. Chuck has organized collecting trips to Peru and Costa Rica. In Chuck’s
spare time, he has owned two pet shops and a tropical fish wholesale operation. Chuck will
be our banquet speaker, and his topic is a surprise, so make sure you do not miss it. |
|
Ginny Eckstein is a long-term resident of Sayville, New York. She is a well known participant
of the Tetra Speakers Program and for many years Ginny authored the "Catfish In-Depth
"column in Aquarium Fish Magazine. If you are looking for someone to talk (and talk)
about catfish, Ginny is a good choice. You will find her experiences with fish keeping
both interesting and amusing. Some of her experiences can be considered amazing. In her
own words, she says "Wet hands, wet feet, dried duckweed surreptitiously clinging to
my forearms, I daintily gag on a siphon of dirty (or is that seasoned?) tank water. That
was 18 years ago ... I still seem to learn things the hard way. My fascination with
tropical fish has taken many twists and turns over the years although I've always loved
catfish". |
| Lee Finley has
been active for over 30 years in all areas of the hobby. Lee is always willing to share
his knowledge and experience with other hobbyists through speaking at clubs and workshops
around the country and abroad. Lee is part of the Tetra Speakers Program, which he has
been involved with since its inception. Lee is an internationally recognized authority on
catfishes. His competence in this area is partially attributable to his observations of
catfish living in nature in both Peru and Brazil. Lee's interest in the early history of
the aquarium hobby has launched his success as a collector of its literature. An active
member of the Tropical Fish Society of Rhode Island, Lee is a founder of the judging
school and the 1983 recipient of the organization's "Mueller Award". Lee
currently writes the monthly column "Catfish Corner" in Tropical Fish Hobbyist
Magazine, and a monthly book review column, "Aquarist's Library", in Aquarium
Fish Magazine. Lee is also one of the founders of the "North American Catfish
Society, LTD.", and is currently the editor of its publication. Since
"retiring", Lee devotes all of his time doing what he likes best, which is just
about anything related to the aquarium hobby. Lee has started his own business called
"Finley Aquatic Books", which involves buying, selling and trading in both new
and used (out-of-print) aquarium literature. |
|
| Rosario LaCorte, a life member of the North Jersey Aquarium Society, has been in the aquarium
hobby for 50 years and has made seven collecting trips to Brazil, Venezuela and Trinidad.
He has discovered a number of new fish and has found a great challenge in breeding may
hard and difficult fish. Rosario’s main interest has been the family Cyrinodontidae
(killifish). He has two fish named after him Nematobrycon lacortei (Rainbow Tetra), and
Maratecoara lacortei (a killifish). Rosario is and avid writer (4 books), lecturer, fish
photographer, while still maintaining 150 aquariums. Al Kiee the last editor of
Innes’ "The Aquarium Magazine" and founder of both the American Cichlid
Association and American Killifish Association, chose Rosario as one of the worlds 3
greatest aquarists. Through Rosario all of us have a living link to the birth and growth
of the tropical fish hobby. Rosario links us to our history as he continues to make
history. |
|
| Karen Randall
grew up in a "fishy family" and kept a number of aquariums as
a child. Since then, her focus has narrowed to concentrate on the set up and maintenance
of planted display aquariums and the propagation of aquatic plants. She is a regular
columnist for Aquarium Fish Magazine, and has written for Aquarium Frontiers, Tropical
Fish Hobbyist, and Aquarium Heute, among other magazines both in the U.S. and abroad. She
lectures frequently, and serves on the Steering Committee for the Aquatic Gardeners
Association. She has served as a consultant on several projects at public aquaria.
Recently she has begun traveling to Brazil to study aquatic plants and biotopes in the
wild. She will be returning to the Amazon next January to continue those studies along
tributaries of the Rio Negro.
|
|
