Thanks for your note that expresses exactly all the NANFA members
sentiments!
I just sent in an article to the Louisiana Wildlife Federation that stressed
these same points.
I stated that no fish, never, ever should be released back into the wild
regardless of it's origin.
BG
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ty Hall" <tyhall_at_mia.net>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 3:23 PM
Subject: Re: NANFA--Snakeheads and Pacu
> I hear this every day, in the shop. "Oh, if they get to big, I'll just
turn them
> loose." I swear sometimes I just want to smack people. Instead I take a
deep
> calming breath and try to explain the moral and legal problems with their
"plan".
> To their credit most are not aware of the implications. But, that is the
biggest
> reason I refuse to carry the larger species of fish in the store. They are
just
> not suitable for the average home aquarist. As an extra measure I do have
a policy
> of taking/buying back any fish that outgrows the persons aquarium. I'd
rather buy
> them back and euthanize them, instead of having them wind up in the lake.
>
> Ty
>
> "Hoover, Jan J ERDC-EL-MS" wrote:
>
> > Jan responds:
> >
> > <snip>
>
> >
> > ...and on a personal note....
> >
> > Tyler Strange (LA-NANFA member), Dena (my wife) and I were in a large
pet
> > outlet Sunday afternoon when a woman came in carrying two plastic
tropical
> > fish bags The kind used for guppies, gouramies, and mollies). Each
> > contained a large (175-200 mm) pacu. She asked the clerk if the store
would
> > take them back so she would not have to let them go. The store said
"no."
> > We said "yes." I ran (literally) to the nearby discount store to buy a
> > large cooler. Dena and Tyler stayed in the pet store, went to the
equine
> > department, pulled a horse-manure tub off the shelf, filled it with
aquarium
> > water, and put the fish in it. I came back (winded), transferred the
fish
> > to the cooler. That evening, we set them up at Waterways Experiment
Station
> > in a flume that is currently inhabited by some other South American
fishes
> > we have recently collected in the southern United States.
> >
> > The woman in the pet store had bought the pacu, along with two oscars,
when
> > they were small, and stocked a 55-gal tank with them. In a little over
a
> > year, they were too large for the aquarium and she did not know what to
do
> > with them. To her credit, she tried to find a home for them, but had
> > someone not been there to take them, and explain why you cannot release
> > exotic fish, they may have been prowling the Pearl River.
> >
> > Mississippi has the distinction of quite a few recent pacu records (5
from
> > the Pascagoula River!). This is how they get there.
> >
> > Clearly, the message of not releasing exotic fishes is not getting
through
> > to the general public.
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