HORRIBLE NEWS!!!!!!!

[Hansonc]

Yes they're just ignorant people dumping them. There's actually huge pacus in trinity and surrounding areas... No fwc or anything is involved, but people have called them in to notify fwc. (Florida wildlife commission)


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[thebiggerthebetter]

Ok. So that's just a good-will gesture by that particular LFS and they base their decision not on public data but on what they hear via the grape vine. Kind of a strange situation but still quite a commendable decision by that LFS. Yet, I fear that unless they are supported by other LFSs in the area, it is fruitless and will never stick.

So, all-in-all, it will never stick until either the keepers are educated on what harm they do by releasing RTCs (this is impossible) or prohibitions are passed (entirely envision-able).

 

[liontammer]

tbtb i was just saying in a controlled pound it would be cool to fish for rtc's thay do pay lake in ky that are stocked with catfish for fishing and thay are all tagged. kinda like a catch and release. but i agree in an uncontrollable lake the results could be extreamly dangerous but again it depends on predators if thay don't breed out of control and become a food source for wild life with out destroying native fish the dec will look the other way for the most part. to examples of bad infestation is the asin carp and snake head look at all the damage thay have done but on the flip side look at zebra muscles thay have cleaned the great lakes as well as alot of rivers of pollution without harming native animoles

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Thanks bro, good addition. I understood your prior points too and my post was not meant to object but to augment.

The zebra mussels are too many now. The government biologists introduced some sort of fish (I forgot the name) that feeds on them but they out-competed the natives. Now they are thinking about how to control that mussel-eating fish, probably by introducing a predator that eats them. And so on. There is almost always bad that comes with these "natural" remedies as well, nothing's ever 100%, but at least our hobby does not suffer nor any individual keeper when the government biologists play. When we start playing, that will be the end or the beginning thereof.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Here is an article from Broward County: http://www.floridasportsman.com/2012/10/04/exotic-redtail-catfish-caught-in-south-florida-lake/

I don't share too much in the fisherman's excitement and I hope the FWC quote is correct that RTCs don't survive much in the Southern FL wild.

 

[Asianleful]

What petstore are you talking about? I got m RTC two years ago at "Exotic Pets." I jetski in Lake Tarpon and have yet to see any fisherman catch an RTC... It'd be pretty cool to see though lol, but probably bad for the ecosystem?

 

[aldiaz33]

I just spoke with my LFS.... RTCs and any kind of cat with the SMS characteristics are no longer going to be sold in the tampa bay area in Florida.... People are releasing them and pacus into one of our largest lakes... And apparently they're doing well at surviving in it... This is so sad as I love buying little ones to watch them grow. I'll damn sure be buying quite a few this coming weekend. Please, don't release fish into lakes and rivers... Now everyone will have to deal with people's carelessness. It's a whole nother Burmese python case....

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No you just sell them or donate to an aquarium, or build an appropriate pond. Also yes it is cool and I've already planned on fishing for them with a buddy who also has RTCs. But now it'll be almost impossible to breed or find babies.

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