[mskids]

Soon, only you outlaws will be breeding and "trafficing" in African cichlids and South American plecos and corydoras.

I wish I wasn't kidding. non-native Goldfish (only) are exempted.

Don't these folks have an ecomomy and an energy shortage to fix?

Skids

Important! Check out Hearing Slated for Nonnative Species Ban


_Click here: Hearing Slated for Nonnative Species Ban_
(Hearing Slated for Nonnative Species Ban)

or

_http://www.petproductnews.com/headlines/2009/04/01/hearing-slated-for-nonnati
ve-species-ban.aspx_
(Hearing Slated for Nonnative Species Ban)

This is a press release regarding a Congressional (House of Representatives)
hearing scheduled on a proposed ban on possession, interstate transportation,
trading and breeding of a huge number of species in the US. This includes fish
ferrets, as well as lots of other mammals, birds, and amphibians. This
could paralyze the pet industry overnight, as well as make many of us criminals just for having our pets.

I urge everyone to contact your legislative representatives and the committee
members (you can get a list of them via a link on this website) to discuss
your opposition to this proposal.

 

[petlover516]

uh-oh. its probably because too many people release them into the wild! :ANGRY:
well at least most-fish nowadays are captive-bred, but SW rarely. BTW-what country is this for?

 

[mskids]

Any non-native wildlife from outside the borders of the USA.

 

[petlover516]

this is awful! it stated that u can't even breed them! well there goes the hobby...no one cares that its a stress-reliever.

 

[comler]

Tyler, you hit the nail right on the head. People need to be careful about what they buy and how they deal with live animals when they get too large for captivity.

Invasive species are a huge problem, not only in the U.S., but all over the world. As a plant biologist, I studied invasive plant species (anyone ever heard of Kudzu?) and the problems they create in the eco-system. The problem with invasives is they have no natural predators, which results in easily growing populations. Every spring, I have to fend off house sparrows who want to use my bluebird boxes for nesting. House sparrows were introduced in the 19th century and are very aggressive birds who will fight and kill bluebirds for their box. The same holds true for any introduced species - it can find itself in a situation where it can reproduce without problem, soon taking over the environment.

People need to understand when they plant exotic plants and/or purchase pets that these things are bought until they die in captivity, and need to be guarded against "escaping" via young, seeds, etc. They can't be introduced to the local environment. They simply don't belong there.

Before Europeans populated this "new land", there were no dandelions here at all. They brought them over for their gardens. I can only imagine what a yard would look like without dandelions.

It's too bad that Congress is taking the legislative means to protect the environment. Not that we don't need to protect the environment, but we really need to be educated on how to do so on our own.

 

[fishfinder]

It says only those people with non-native fish prior to the ban can keep them. Perhaps we should all go out and buy more fish and tanks!

 

[aconrad]

I doubt they can get away with putting so many stores out of business...

 

[comler]

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it...

I would hope that a sensible solution is found that doesn't put all the pet stores out of business, but that's not always the case with Congress. Prohibition put every bar out of business (or in a backroom speakeasy). Sure it created a black-market, but I don't want to have purchase fish from some back-alley guy who also tries to sell me a fake Rolex.

 

[petlover516]

i bet this website showing this is lying. pet stores are still in business, and nothing has been said on the news.

 

[comler]

i bet this website showing this is lying. pet stores are still in business, and nothing has been said on the news.

Tyler - The House committee has scheduled a meeting for April 23. That has yet to happen. Things in Congress take time (unless they are spending billions to float the economy...). This isn't a big news item, either, so unless you spend the time searching for it, you probably won't see this on the evening news. The site that sponsored the link is called "Pet Product News". The site is a specialty site for people in the pet product industry. I have a feeling they aren't lying.

On the other hand, I'm not saying that we need to be all sorts of worried about this. It's in the early stages. However, this administration takes the environment much more seriously than the last one did. This will be seriously considered - not just tossed away. Many factors will contribute to the decision Congress makes. One of those factors is what their constituents think, while another is what the lobbyists are saying.

Who knows how this will turn out, but it's something to keep an eye on.

The following link verifies the hearing in the House of Representatives, and provides a pretty good explanation of how the process works and what the hearing is about.

H.R. 669: Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act (GovTrack.us)

 

[Dmaaaaax]

I really doubt this will be a big deal for most of the fish we own.

Essentially, the legislation would require the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to create lists of approved and non-approved species for nonnative wildlife based on risk assessments of the species’ potential likelihood to “cause economic or environmental harm or harm to another animal species’ health or human health.”

Most tropical fish would not cause environmental harm and should therefore be on the "approved" list. IMO pirahanas, Koi/carps, and goldfish can cause the most harm, and they have already approved the goldfish.

Species that may be harmful but are already “so widespread in the United States that it is clear to the Secretary that any import prohibitions or restrictions would have no practical utility” could be included on the approved list.

This would cover most of the fish we see in the petstores including Koi and goldfish.

 

[comler]

I pretty much agree with you, Dmaaaaax. It sounds very much like the Endangered Species Act. In that legislation, each species that is brought forward for investigation is studied and it is determined whether the animal is placed on the list or not. It sounds like they are trying to do that with this legislation. It's not to ban all animals - only those that pose a threat.

Obviously, some species can cause environmental harm - for instance the zebra mussels in the Great Lakes have been able to reproduce prolifically due to no natural predation. These are not pets, but if we consider things like Caymans - that's a different story. A few Caymans let loose in Florida could be detrimental to the natural fauna.

If done wisely, the list will be a good thing.

I'm not losing any sleep over it.