No. Any live SH (including eggs) is illegal to possess, for any reason, in the US and its territories.
In Florida, the law expressly states that any live SH is to be destroyed by removing the head immediately upon capture. If you catch one it is illegal to release it back into the water alive.
It's just a rumer , it's been floating around ever since the US ban took effect. Closest it ever came to reality was last year when a proposal was made to tighten regulations on many species including channa on a federal level but nothing ever came of it and in the end the laws were not changed.
So no federal ban on import or ownership but Some provinces have bans they are :
Quebec -ban on all channa & parachanna
Ontario-ban on all channa & parachanna
BC- ban on all channa & parachanna
Manitoba - ban on Channa Argus only.
Unfortunatly , Alberta has joined the ban club . Notice was issued around the province last month warning that as of January 2016 a ban will be in effect on all channa & parachanna.
Still no bans on a federal level in Canada but the list of provincial bans is now..
Quebec -ban on all channa & parachanna
Ontario-ban on all channa & parachanna
BC- ban on all channa & parachanna
Manitoba - ban on Channa Argus only.
Alberta - ban on all channa & parachanna
Unfortunatly , Alberta has joined the ban club . Notice was issued around the province last month warning that as of January 2016 a ban will be in effect on all channa & parachanna.
Still no bans on a federal level in Canada but the list of provincial bans is now..
Quebec -ban on all channa & parachanna
Ontario-ban on all channa & parachanna
BC- ban on all channa & parachanna
Manitoba - ban on Channa Argus only.
Alberta - ban on all channa & parachanna
I'm not too worried about bans here. my province has a low population density so these sorta silly things tend to get ignored. If they did place a ban I'm sure focus would be placed on stoping shops from selling them ,much like when our reptile laws changed. Enforcment is all in the shops , individual hobbiests face enforcement on a complaint bases only.