Last Thursday many of us lost a great friend and the ornamental fish industry lost a tireless advocate. OFI Secretary-General, Alex Ploeg, his wife, Edith, and their son, Robert, were on the Malaysian Airlines flight 17 shot down over the Ukraine. A truly senseless tragedy.

Practical Fish Keeping just published a short article about this tragedy and the impact Alex has had on the industry during his tenure as OFI Secretary-General.

You may also go to the OFI website to read some personal messages from fiends in the global ornamental fish community.

Our thoughts and prayers  are with their two daughters , Mirjam and Sandra, who must now move ahead without their parents and brother.

Dr. Tim and the AAHP.

With Alex and Edith (second and third from the right) in Malaysia in 2011.

At the home of Raymond Cheah (Greeny Aquaculture), checking emails after a day of fish collecting.

I have some fond memories of that trip with Alex and Edith.