-- Jay DeLong Olympia, WA> -----Original Message----- > From: owner-nanfa_at_aquaria.net On Behalf > Of DasArm_at_aol.com > Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2000 11:20 PM > To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net > Subject: Re: NANFA-- Freshwater Crab found in Nevada > > > In a message dated 8/19/00 3:22:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > thirdwind_at_att.net writes: > > << the aquarium industry has been unregulated for the > longest time, and there are established populations of exotic > animals that > certainly came from unwise aquarium releases. The reality is that we're > just now seeing the onset of a national effort to deal with exotic plants > and animals, and as long as aquarists say "Leave me and my animals and my > rights alone" they'll be viewed as part of the problem. >> > > I don't necessarily think that every exotic fish including currently > problematic invasive species should be made available no matter > what, but I > don't want to see the legislative pendulum swing to far in the other > direction either, with the result that fish keeping for aquarists > is severely > restricted. I think that for instance in areas like Florida where > swamp eels > are causing problems they should be banned because they will take > over the > Everglades and cause extinctions and extirpations in that area. Predators > like gators may prey on them but in the meantime they will > probably prey on > the smaller native fishes and out-compete other predatory fish in > the area. I > think that cases like this where the situation with an > introduction is really > bad that something has to be done. But I don't think that the governments > should start getting heavy-handed and banning the keeping of fish in an > aquarium in areas where those particular fish species are not hurting > anything or are likely to hurt anything. > > <<The President just > <<signed the National Invasive Species Act. There's going to be > lots of money > <<sent to the states to address this issue. > > Too bad the Act hasn't been expanded to include intentionally > stocked exotic > sport fishes. Still, it's a start. I like that they're going to put some > emphasis on keeping invasive species from entering the Mississippi River > (especially those damn round gobies). This is an area of great > biodiversity > that would really be threatened by invasives and with its > tributaries spans a large part of the U.S.
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