Updated November 19, 2009

History
A Fish Breeders Directory for CAOAC member clubs was first proposed by Tom & Pat Bridges in 1982. The idea was approved and the first directory was prepared and submitted for the 1983 Convention Update. It has been updated annually since that time. Most, but not all, member clubs have submitted breeding data for the Directory at one time or another over the 24 years of its existence. If a club does not update its entries for three consecutive years or, at least, indicate an interest in remaining part of the Directory, its old entries are removed from the published directory but retained in the CAOAC database. They can, upon request, be reactivated and published again at some future date.

Purpose
The idea behind it was simply to be another service that CAOAC could provide for its members. Fish breeding is an important aspect of the hobby and the main focus for some hobbyists. The Directory gives recognition and therefore encouragement for breeding achievements beyond the level of the individual club. Some felt that it might provide a source of information and possible stock for hobbyists. There is very little evidence that it has been of much use in that regard. On those occasions when it has fallen into the hands of fish breeding hobbyists, other than binder holding executive types, the diversity of species bred by fellow hobbyists may have been an inspiration.

How clubs can get and/or stay involved
Most clubs already have in place a Breeders Award program with a chairperson in charge. If any club doesn't have one they might like to check out the CAOAC guidelines. Where results have met the requirements of the club's Breeding Program, in addition to recognition at that level the BAP Chair or another appointed contact person may submit the breeders' names, the fish bred, (Scientific name please - common name, if any, may follow in brackets), and the classification. (Optionally they may indicate whether the fish in question are being maintained but this feature is so little used that it may be discontinued in the future.)

For the purposes of the Directory the classifications are:
(1) Livebearers (2) Catfish (3) Barbs, Minnows & Rasboras (4) Tetras & Characins (5) Killie Fish (6)Anabantids (7) Cichlids (8) Sharks, Loaches & Eels (9) Marine and (10) All Other Species. (Rainbows and blue eyes are included in AOS.)

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The information can be sent by postage mail, e-mail or hand delivered at a CAOAC meeting or any club event where we are present. It should come in as available and does not need to wait until the end of the CAOAC year. Upon request we will send the contact person a printout of his/her club's submissions to date. If you provide us with an email address we can send it very quickly and save postage and trees. Even better, if we know what word processor you use we can format it nicely as well. We greatly appreciate printing, typing, computer disk or computer printout. Hours have been spent over the years trying to decipher handwriting. Correct or at least consistent spelling is also appreciated. Also, if you are reporting a new name for a species and you can give the old synonym in brackets it will help a lot. Please include the Breeder Awards Chairperson or other contact person's name, address, phone number and e- mail address, (if available). This information will be included in the front of the Directory.

CAOAC has instituted a recognition program for hobbyists who are the first among those within clubs belonging to CAOAC to breed a species of fish and submit it to the Breeders Directory. When a submission containing a first breeding, (a species that is not listed in the CAOAC Breeders Directory Database), is received from a club, a suitable certificate will be sent or delivered to that club for presentation to the hobbyist in question. If possible, the achievement will also be published in the CAOAC newsletter. Please note that this started with the inception of this program. No historical awards will be made. BAP Chairs are encouraged to get results in promptly because first, means the first claim to be submitted, not the actual date of the successful breeding. If two or more hobbyists are credited with breeding the same fish in a single club submission, it will be up to the BAP chair to determine who actually bred it first. The following is a list of the 'First in CAOAC Awards' either presented or in the works:

The above listed individuals are to be congratulated for their achievements.

If you have suggestions as to how the directory and their place in it can be brought to the attention of the fish breeding or potential fish breeding hobbyists at the club level, please pass them on. Any other positive suggestions will also be welcome. To help in this regard, a copy of the Breeders Directory in .PDF format, (Adobe Acrobat), will be emailed to any member of a CAOAC club upon request. You must provide your name, the name of your club and your email address. Tom & Pat Bridges 4 Crescent Dr. Welland ON  L3B 2W5 - Ph (905) 735-3352 E-Mail