General Rules
A fish may only be turned-in once for points by any one participant. Both species and subspecies of fish in a Genus that are recognized as naturally occurring are accepted and given full points.
The name of a fish, scientifically, is recognized as Genus-species-subspecies. A subspecies, as accepted by the BAP Committee, is a naturally occurring population different from another subspecies only in color or geographic location (found in different places).
Subspecies recognized by the BAP program are those found in publications acceptable to the BAP Chairs. If the 'scientific community' later recognizes a fish (subspecies) to be a truly different species, or the taxonomic name(s) are changed, the BAP Committee will reclassify each animal appropriately.
All fish MUST be registered by scientific name. If you know that the scientific name has changed recently, please add all of the previous synonyms to the BAP Report that you know it used to be called by. This will be helpful when pointing your fish.
If changes in name or point value assigned, result in a subspecies being elevated to full species status, and/or in increased point value, the burden of proof falls onto the participant. Written proof must be presented for the change. Word-of-mouth or consensus vote is not acceptable.
Eggs must be obtained from your own spawning and not purchased from an outside source, such as the A.K.A. (American Killifish Association). Any Paid-up member is eligible to participate in the program.
Verification:
BAP chair and committee reserves the right to request verification for any submission of 10 or more points. Verification may include a visit to the breeder's fishroom by an MAS members in good standing to witness the fry and breeding operation. For any spawn submitted, the breeder is responsible for being able to report the month of spawn, conditions of spawn and rearing, and an estimated of the number of fry.
To maintain the integrity of the BAP program, two conditions are likely to require closer verification before points are given: [1] A BAP submission of fish that are obviously beyond the fry stage, and [2] a submission of a species for which there is a known distribution of similar fry circulating in the area. In these cases, the breeder should be able to provide the following information to help BAP verify the submission:
- in what month were the specimens spawned
- roughly how many fry were obtained from the spawn
- What happened to the other fry? BAP may want to verify the evidence of the other fry from those who obtained or witnessed them.
- If the submission was of older fish, why did the submitter wait until this age to submit them?
While verification is not always required, we ask BAP participants to welcome verification requests as a way to maintain the program's integrity as well as a way to share one's breeding successes.
Point Classification
The BAP Committee will be responsible for the point classification of each fish registered. If a point value of a fish changes, over time, only new registrations will be affected.
Awarding of Points:
At least four (4) fry must be submitted to the BAP auction, per the details under paragraph E. 'BAP Auctions' below, in order to receive BAP points.
To receive points through the BAP program for freshwater spawns of fish having BAP point values assigned of 10 and 15, the participant may be asked to have had their spawn verified in their home aquarium by an unrelated Society member in good standing. Spawns of fish valued at 5 points need no verification.
Participants spawning freshwater fish with BAP point values of 20 and 25 must have the spawns verified by a BAP Committee member. A BAP Committee member must verify the spawning of any marine fish for which a participant desires to receive recognition following the outline indicated in the rules for 'Marine Awards' shown above.
Each spawn must be registered by filling-out a BAP form that is signed by the participant and witness and turned in to one of the BAP Chairpersons at the time of the General Meeting BAP auction. The Treasurer's sales sheet must also be filled out at that time. Exceptions to this rule will rarely be granted and must be approved by one of the BAP Chairs and at least one other BAP Committee member.
All points and records will be assigned off of the BAP form. Auctioning a group of fry without the form being turned in will result in no recognition being given for the spawn, until the form is turned in to the BAP chair. This means that no points will be posted and the record of the spawn will not be entered in the database or sent to the Aqua News or FAAS (Federation of American Aquarium Societies) for publication until the form is made available for entry into the BAP database.
Spawns that are made for the first time in the United States will be awarded an additional 25 points. The participant is responsible for providing proof to the BAP committee for this.
The participating members are responsible for obtaining, completing, and turning-in all forms required for participation.
Articles detailing the raising and care of fry or spawning experiences are not required, but are encouraged. The Aqua News editor(s), and the BAP Chair(s), and/or other mentors of the Society will assist you with this in any way they can.
BAP Auctions:
To be awarded BAP points and recognition, at least four (4) fry must survive to 60 days post hatch, or birth for livebearers, and four (4) young fish must be auctioned at the monthly General Meeting.
Auctioning of BAP spawns at the general MAS Society auctions or flea markets will not be allowed unless special permission has been given by the BAP chair because of special circumstances, such as a great travel distance, or infirmity of the member.
The proceeds of the auction of all fish submitted for BAP points shall go to the Society. The moneys are to be used for awards, book purchases, speakers, and any other expenditure that the MAS Board deems correct.
To encourage breeders of rare and/or valuable fish to participate in the BAP program, a limit for the Society's 'cut' of an auctioned item is set at $30.00. All bids above that amount will go to the breeder, if the breeder requests the club do so. The breeder may set a target price (if he so wishes) for the item to be auctioned. If a target price is set, it must be over $30.00. The breeder may participate in the bidding, but may not continue bidding above the target price he has set. The auctioneer will judge whether the target price is attainable, and then decide whether to actively try to reach the target price in bidding, or to start bidding at the target price. If the target price is not reached, the breeder may withdraw the item, or allow the fish to by auctioned without the target price. A $30.00 donation to the Society for the breeding of a rare or expensive fish in lieu of bringing fry to the BAP auction is not acceptable.
...New as of November 2018:
Any participant of BAP may bring one extra bag each month of fry or breeders of a species he/she has previously BAPed. (Likewise for HAP.) This bag will be auctioned during the BAP/HAP auction, and the seller will receive 50% of the selling price. The intent of this allowance is to provide more member access to member-bred species, and for the breeder to pass on additional fry or the adult breeders to fellow MAS members. Such bags do not qualify for any BAP points, awards, credit toward membership, or anything beyond the 50% split. Additional bags of the same species may be donated during the month of its BAP, but a split is offered only on one bag and for a species BAP'ed in a previous month. Note: The one bag applies to either one BAP bag or one HAP bag, but not both the same month.
This rule is intended to limit the loss of value to breeders of truly rare and/or valuable fish and to provide an opportunity for such breeders to receive BAP points and Society recognition for their efforts. Additionally, the minimum pricing rule may provide an opportunity for other Society members to see more rare fish, thus giving the BAP table and auction new life. The Society will benefit from the sale since very few items auctioned at the regular meetings break the $30.00 barrier.
In all BAP issues, the BAP Committee has final authority to settle any disputes and their decision is final.