Re: NANFA-- fwd: Snakehead or bowfin? (Wildbulletin mailing

ichthos-in-comcast.net
Wed, 19 May 2004 14:46:55 +0000

Federal law prohibits the importation and interstate transfer of live
snakeheads. It DOES NOT make it a crime to possess them in aquaria.

However,-in-least 13 states ban their possession. These states include Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and that bastion of conservatism and individual rights, Texas. I'm not sure if these states ban *all* snakehead species, or just the ones that can survive in their waters. (Other states are considering similar bans, and may have done so already.)

What gets my goat is the stupidity of people. The state (or federal) government passes laws restricting the ownership or importation of snakeheads because of the environmental threat posed by people letting them go. So how do some people respond? They let even more snakeheads go! What idiots!

One other gripe: To suggest that restrictions on snakeheads will lead to restrictions or bans on all tropical aquarium fishes is guilty of the same "sky is falling" mentality so often attributed to environmentalists.

Chris Scharpf
Baltimore
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