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DFWMACNA presents...With DFWMAS hosting this year’s MACNA (the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America), we have the unique opportunity to make it memorable. Each year, the host club tries to raise the bar, and we are doing that this September.

Saturday night during the gala dinner, the keynote speaker educates & entertains (edu-tains?) the audience for about an hour. Over the years, divers, photographers, aqua-culturers, film-makers and authors have all spoken. What could top those previous experiences? Who was uniquely qualified? We wanted a big name, someone epic, and ...

If you are considering marine biology or something marine-related, it is time to apply for a $2500 scholarship now. MASNA selects from the applications submitted before June 22, 2012.

This year there are two scholarships up for grabs. You can learn more at these links:
http://www.dfs-pet-blog.com/2012/03/...-scholarships/
http://www.masna.org/AboutMASNA/MASNAScholarship.aspx

These scholarships are brought to you by MASNA, Drs Foster and Smith and Ecotech Marine. Free money for the ...

I recently discovered that MASNA has made a big effort to help correct the misinformation being promulgated to the detriment of the future of our hobby. Here's the facebook page; be sure to "like" it to stay in the loop.

http://www.facebook.com/HawaiiBanFactCheck

In a few days, Ret Talbot is going to be speaking on behalf of the industry. Another group hopes to stop the entire event on March 20, 2012. Here's their plea:



We in turn should also contact Dr. Malia Chow to encourage that such discussions continue rather than be silenced. You can email ...

For the past few decades, hobbyists around the world have enjoyed keeping the Banggai cardinalfish in their home aquariums. Public aquariums keep large groups to display to their annual audience of visitors which number in the millions. Many hobbyists have raised their fry to be able to share them with others in their local area. Have you ever kept any in yours?

But where do they come from? Did you know there's an actual locale called the Banggai Islands? That's where these fish hail from, and why they were so named. In recent years, there have been huge debates regarding this fish and its future. Some fear their numbers have dwindled to the point of extinction, while others state they are still plentiful in the ...

Every year, MACNA brings in a big groups of speakers and these people provide a small image and a biography detailing who they are. Boring!! We want to get downright personal so we can know who they really are.

Sitting down with Christine Williams, the interview went like this:

1) Let's start off easy... What was your first job?
CW: Working for a company that made artificial limbs. It involved straps, velcro and other assorted items. (Favorite limb?) A guy that wanted a beer bottler opener embedded in his leg! It's important to have the right tool for the job.
...

When a Club Hosts a Speaker
by Steven Pro

As an aquarium society grows, they inevitably want to bring in out of town experts to educate their membership. The first thing that the club leadership needs to determine is, what would the members like to hear about? Do they want to hear the latest on reef aquarium lighting or would they prefer to discover the most recent breakthroughs in marine fish breeding? Some clubs prefer hands-on workshops on things like coral fragmentation, aquarium photography, aquascaping, fish necropsy, or acrylic and PVC fabrication. While other clubs might prefer more formal, educational lectures or picture heavy travelogues. Once it has been decided what the club is looking for, finding a speaker to fill that niche is much easier.

The Marine Aquarium Society of North America (www.masna.org) provides a database of speakers, their contact information, and their specific requests to provide lectures and/or workshops to their member clubs. I urge you to take advantage of this resource, but if there are speakers not listed, do not hesitate to ask the board so that they can assist in locating and contacting the speaker. MASNA is also pleased to make suggestions ...