DRAS Annual Social Dinner
Saturday April 27th, 2024 3 pm-10 pm
The Durham Region Aquarium Society is both proud and pleased to present the 23rd iteration of our annual dinner.
This year, we have two individuals – Gary Lange and Tim McCaskie – speaking about their joint participation in a 2023 expedition to Papua New Guinea. One expedition, two points of view, and two presentations.
Come join us on April 27th, 2024 in the atrium of the Administration Building of the Toronto Zoo to share in their presentations, to access a rare opportunity for a behind–the–scenes tour of the Toronto Zoo fish room, and to participate in an auction of eggs of rare, elusive, and extremely sought after species of Rainbowfish straight from Gary Lange’s own fish room.
Cost is $60 per ticket which includes:
Dinner
Presentation by Tim McCaskie
Presentation by Gary Lange
Toronto Zoo Fish Room “Behind the scenes” Tour
Gary Lange’s Rainbowfish Egg Kit Auction
Location: Toronto Zoo Administration Building Atrium - 361A Old Finch Ave Scarborough, ON M1B 5K7
Speakers
Gary Lange
Gary has been keeping fish since he was 10 and has been associated with the organized hobby for the last 40 years. He is a member of the Missouri Aquarium Society (MASI) and has held various positions in the club. He is a grand master breeder in MASI, and has won "Best Fish In Show" on four different occasions, twice with rainbowfish.
In 2005 he took the rainbowfish collectors dream trip – collecting in West Papua. He’s now made a total of eight trips to West Papua. He brought back rainbowfish that have never been seen in the hobby including Chilatherina alleni and Melanotaenia vanheurni. With these trips he’s collected and brought back at least 17 different undescribed species of rainbowfish.
He is currently running over 90 aquariums (~2,500 gallons, 9,500 liters) and keeping over 65 species and locations of rainbowfish and blue-eyes.
Tim McCaskie
Tim has kept fish for 38 years, and started his first fish room in college 25 years ago while he worked in a local fish store. His fish room now has 45 tanks totaling over 2,200 gallons, and it has seen the breeding of a vast variety of different species of fish.
After finishing college, he started working at the Toronto Zoo on conservation projects in 1998, which soon lead to his participation in the Madagascar Freshwater Fishes project. Tim has subsequently bred several species of Malagasy fishes and sent them to many other zoological institutions. He has participated in five expeditions to Madagascar (discovering several species of fish that have not been described, including species of Bedotia and Rheocles), an expedition to Costa Rica, and most recently to Papua New Guinea alongside Gary Lange.
Gary Lange’s Traditional Rainbowfish Egg Auction
One of the reasons Gary Lange is among the most accomplished aquarists in North America is because he intentionally distributes eggs of the species that he discovers and that he keeps. This ensures both the continuation of the species being available, and allows aquarists the opportunity to raise these species from eggs, subsequently breed those species, which in turn allows additional availability within their local regional aquarium hobby.
Gary will be bringing vials of eggs from species that he keeps, and these vials will be available via an auction at the end of the evening. Do you bemoan the fact that you can’t find rare species in local aquarium stores? Do you ever find species in local stores that you aren’t sure of their origins? Here is the opportunity for you to acquire one or more species that are pure strains of carefully curated bloodlines.
Gary’s egg kits come with a vial of eggs and instructions on the best way to hatch the eggs and rear the fish.
The auction is cash only. (Historically, each vial has sold for no less than $20, with extremely rare or desirable species having sold for $100 or more.)
Toronto Zoo Fish Room Tour
One of the benefits of hosting our event at the zoo is the opportunity for aquarium hobbyists to participate in a behind–the–scenes tour of the Toronto Zoo’s fish room facility. See what institutional fish keepers do to maintain and breed species, how they set up tanks and associated infrastructure, what they feed, and hear about the reasons why.
Note: In order to participate in the behind–the–scenes tour of the Toronto Zoo’s fish room facility, attendees must be at the zoo for 3:00 PM.
Dinner Menu
(Catering provided by Sweet Beginnings Catering)
Starters
Berry Spring Mix Salad
Caesar Salad with Homemade Seasoned Croutons
Cream of Potato and Bacon Soup
Main
Prime Rib Roast with au jus
Grilled Seasoned Chicken Breast with Dijon Mustard and Garlic Cream Sauce
Vegetable Lasagna
Sides
Lemon and Herb Roasted Potatoes
Garlic, Parmesan, and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Oven Roasted Herb and Parsley Buttered Seasonal Vegetable Medley
Desert
Cheese Cake (choice of 2 toppings)
Cash Bar
Note: The Durham Region Aquarium Society recognizes and will accommodate any dietary restrictions or preferences. Should your dietary needs or preferences not be encompassed within the above menu options, please contract DRAS and we will strive to accommodate.
Dinner Tickets $60 per person, etransfer payment to dras4payments@gmail.com