If you’ve been following JBL for the last few months you’ll know that we explored the worlds of aquarium and terrarium inhabitants twice in Colombia last year. These two JBL Expedition generated some extensive measurement data and facts and led to us launching the JBL podcast TROPENFIEBER. This podcast broadcasts additional infos about biotopes, species protection and nature conservation in order to improve our awareness of how we humans need to care for the species we keep.
Having listened to the overwhelmingly positive feedback to the new format, we have begun to support the local conservation project at the Rio Claro Nature Reserve in Colombia.
This wide-ranging support also includes smaller local projects in the North Sea, such as one collecting ghost nets, which we support financially.
The Fish Flyer
JBL is now going a step further by addressing aquarists, terrarium owners and conservationists directly. Endangered fish species are to be reintroduced locally. The project will begin in Colombia. In cooperation with leading nature conservation organisations, JBL is going to fly several stable groups of rare fish species supplied by aquarists to Colombia, in order to reintroduce them into the wild. The animals were previously bred in Europe and mass-reared for such purposes. It’s a great step - giving something "lost" back to nature.
But that's not all. To ensure that the fish experience the transport as stress-free as possible, a simple transport becomes a journey. For this purpose, we have commissioned a special aircraft, to be converted from a discarded passenger plane into a zoo transporter especially for the transport of fish, with a lounge for the attendants. The aircraft will be painted with the TROPENFIEBER logo in the JBL livery and each aquarium will have a view of the landscape during take-off and landing.
The aircraft is nicknamed the "Fish Flyer". The first planned flight will take off from Germany to Colombia today, 1 April. The crew consists of JBL's research and marketing team, a small group of experienced aquarists and conservationists who will be on board to ensure that the fish arrive at their destination in top condition. From there, boats and jeeps will take them to the respective biotopes. Three sites are scheduled as destinations and are served simultaneously to keep the time as short as possible.
The transport containers are a special design, equipped with JBL technology familiar from the fields of filtering, lighting and water analysis, and run with our wide range of care and food products. The first prototypes of the new JBL smart technology supply real-time measurement data to the monitors so that the water quality and other parameters can be closely monitored. The lighting already simulates the situation at the target biotope with very natural, sun-like radiation to provide the fish with a pleasant environment during the flight and to facilitate acclimatisation.
Only in this way is the holistic approach possible without endangering the welfare of the animals. They will hardly notice the journey. What they will experience instead is a wellness programme with good PRONOVO food, special care products and vitamin treatments. This is the level of care only top professional athletes can expect to receive pre-competition.
The project vision
The “Fish Flyer” project in Colombia is just the beginning of JBL's new initiative to improve the protection and conservation of endangered fish species worldwide. In conjunction with the countries visited by JBL research expeditions and the knowledge gained there, synergies can be used and the project implemented.
As one of the next steps, in preparation for transport, the new fish food JBL PRONOVO BIOTOP will also be available in specialist shops. Its use in breeding stations has shown that the sensitive and difficult fish especially react very well to it. Like the well-known JBL PRONOVO foods, the food is made from natural ingredients and contains dedicated nutrients and vitamins to promote the health and well-being of the endangered fish species.
In addition to the fish transport, our upcoming research trips will also be conducted using the company's own aircraft going forward. This way participants will gain an exclusive insight into the state-of-the-art facility and experience our reintroduction projects first hand.
We hope you’re excited by the idea and looking forward to reading about its success in future reports. Start into the future with us. Using smart technology, you can observe the live data of the aquarium technology and the water parameters of each individual aquarium and follow the geo-locations of the fish groups in flight and on land.
