There is a lot of misinfo on this thread....
As for "Fishkeeper A" having animals given to "Fishkeeper B", it's not that simple. The confiscated animals go to established facilities that have permits to keep such things. They are usually acredited and well known for what they do. It actually sucks sometimes to be in that position, because you now have fish you didn't want. You can't get rid of them since they are evidence in a federal case. SThey might not fit into a display area or theme you have going, so they only take up space in quarantine or holding areas. More or less, you just hold them on your dime. We a had a ton of Asian Aros at Dallas World from situations like this. They don't go to private owners EVER. The article in TFH was interesting only in that techinally that author shouldn't have had those fish. I wrote them about it. Never heard back. Then again, half the junk I read in those mags are incorrect, so why bother.
Permits (in the US) don't just get tossed out like coupons for Wal Mart. You have to really be top notch - and even then, you might not get one. With the permit, you open yourself up for inspections, checks and even worse fines if you operate outside the set limits of your paperwork. Yes, they really do come look at your place. Yes, they really do stop by without warning just to check. Yes, they really do write you up/fine you for operating outside your permits. Very few private owns will take the correct steps to get a permit.
Captive bred vs wild cught doesn't matter with that Asian Aro arguement in the US. They are all the same speices (no matter what color phase you try to break them down into). The species is protected - so that means ALL of them. You can complain about it all you want, but until someone dumps the money into getting an accurate wild population count, they will remain as CITES Appendix 1 and be protected in the US.
As for the comments "I won't turn it lose, I don't get it"... that is narrowminded. there are several reasons an animal maybe prohibited in your area. Along those same lines,
YES PEOPLE GET NAILED ALL THE TIME WITH ILLEGAL FISH.
You'd be surprised how easy it is to find someone. 90% of illegal fish keepers will talk about the animal they have at some point or another. It's not a fun process to go through. It's hard on you and your family. It's humiliating and expensive. Just don't do it. You are hurting not only yourself and the animal(s), but also the reputation of other fish keepers (meaning the rest of us on this forum as well as millions of others).
