Question on Asian arowanas and the US?

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To rerail the derail away from discussing illegal activities and answer the guy's question whether the Asian Aros are farm raised or wild caught they are illegal to possess in the United States.They are listed as endangered species,mentioned in the Lacey Act,CITES and probably on a few other lists so the U.S. government will not allow them to be had here.
 
You can go to Canada and drive back with them. In Canada it it LEGAL to have. Even at the border they won't know what kind of fish it is even if you were to get checked which in unlikely. I'm just saying they're many ways to get an ARO. Your not trafficking drugs its just a fish.

I live in Chicago so Canada is not that far away.

I'm not saying to do this its illegal but people have them in the U.S.
you may stumble across with luck, but border control are trained to know what you can and can't bring back. They are most certainly going to question a plastic tub with a big ass fish in it and probably find the appropriate authority on the matter to confirm what it is.
 
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To rerail the derail away from discussing illegal activities and answer the guy's question whether the Asian Aros are farm raised or wild caught they are illegal to possess in the United States.They are listed as endangered species,mentioned in the Lacey Act,CITES and probably on a few other lists so the U.S. government will not allow them to be had here.
this thread was done at my first response. illegal regardless of origin.
 
You can go to Canada and drive back with them. In Canada it it LEGAL to have. Even at the border they won't know what kind of fish it is even if you were to get checked which in unlikely. I'm just saying they're many ways to get an ARO. Your not trafficking drugs its just a fish.

I live in Chicago so Canada is not that far away.

I'm not saying to do this its illegal but people have them in the U.S.


Pittsburgh Fish Smuggler Could Get 20 Years in Federal Pen

byChad Love


A Pittsburg man could be doing some hard time in a federal penitentiary after he was caught smuggling a rare Asian fish into the country.

From this story in theWall Street Journal:
A Pittsburgh man is facing as much as 20 years in federal prison after admitting he smuggled 11 endangered fish into New York from Canada. Federal prosecutors in Buffalo say 37-year-old Anthony Nguyen was caught bringing 11 Asian arowana across the Peace Bridge in November 2008.

They say border inspectors found the fish in a car a day after Nguyen bought them. The arowana, listed under the Endangered Species Act, were valued at about $18,000. Nguyen pleaded guilty Friday to smuggling. He's scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 9. In addition to prison time, he could be fined as much as $250,000.

Twenty years in a federal pen for smuggling aquarium fish? That's going to make for some interesting prison yard conversation between him and the other inmates..
 
That article is a wake-up call for people not respecting laws of endangered, and illegal species.
 
My brother-in-law owns a commercial fishing vessel and is pretty much the only US flagged ship with a permit for fishing halibut in Canadian waters. He has all the permits to land the catch in Canada, put it onto a truck, and ship to the US. Customs seized the truck and sold his catch, illegally. I question how much they really know. He is in litigation with the government currently to re-coup his money, which is in the hundred's of thousands of dollars.
 
Ya I think my question was answered. I don't believe I'll give up my awesome silver (Spartacus) for an Asian. I'll steer clear and enjoy what we can have! Thanks all. It is a good convo question though lol
 
An ideal alternative, IMO, would be a Scleropages leichardti. They're not as aggressive as jardini aros.

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I have always wondered if someone groomed a Lei from a young age including tanning etc that they do with Red Aros if you could acheive a red lei....
 
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