Title: "The Fish of Madre de Dios, Peru and GoWildPeru"

Bio for Michael Barber:

His parents gave him a five gallon metal frame, slate bottom tank when he was a youngster. Despite the resulting memories of stainless steel, incandescent light hoods tingling him, he was set in the hobby when allowed to be late to school to watch his guppy have babies. Fifty plus years later, he has a dedicated fish room. Favorites are Calichthydae and Apistogrammas (& Apistogrammoides pucallpaensis). At one time he had over fifty species of Corydoras, Brochis and Aspidoras in the fish room with successful breeding of nearly all. The fish room includes a few other choice species from collecting trips in the Amazon. Just a few of note are Rio Nanay Angels (called the Peruvian Altum as a marketing gimmick), Mesonauta festivus, Otos, Ancistrus and many charicins.

About ten years ago, his hobby expanded beyond the fish room and local club meetings to the Amazon. He states he is blessed to venture to the Amazon basin to collect most of the fish he keeps and thoroughly enjoys introducing others to the collecting experience - mentoring them while they prepare for their first Amazon expedition. He is a co-leader, with Devon Graham, of MT Amazon Expeditions. In 2014, with the collaboration of a few friends in the DC area, he began facilitating the trans-shipping of fish caught on these trips. In 2015, in partnership with Ian Fuller, they established a new fish collecting venture, GoWildPeru, in Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Peru.
Michael is Treasurer and a past President of PVAS.

We will be meeting for dinner at 6 pm at Bandanas. If you are going please call Gary Lange before 4 pm so he can reserve you a seat.

Bandanas BBQ 12222 Dorsett Road Maryland Heights, MO 63043
http://www.bandanasbbq.com/