Maybe some good news for the Americans?

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David R

David R

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www.amazonasmagazine.com

ALERT – USAQUA Files Intent to Sue After US Fish & Wildlife Service Fails to Consider Allowing Imports of Captive-Bred Asian Arowana from CITES Registered Facilities - AMAZONAS Magazine

In November of 2025, USAQUA petitioned the Federal Government to allow import and interstate commerce of Asian arowana from CITES registered facilities in accordance with CITES regulations. Under the ESA, the Federal government must consider such petitions and make an initial finding within 90...
www.amazonasmagazine.com www.amazonasmagazine.com

What's the likelihood of this gaining any traction? I imagine there would be plenty of money to be made so it may be worth their while pursuing it legally?
 
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Mississippi!

Silver, Black, African, Lechardi, Jardini, and of course Asian. None could survive a winter in native waters as we have freezing temperatures all the way down to the Gulf Coast. It snuck up on me, I saw it on the Restricted Species List sticky post in the Marketplace section here. Also prohibited are:
dorados (Salminus)
freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygonidae)
Nile perches (Lates and Luciolates)
African electric catfishes (Malapteruridae)
African tigerfishes (Alestidae/Hydrocyninae)
freshwater electric eels (Electrophoridae)
peacock bass or peacock ciclid (Cichla ocellaris)
South American pike characoids (Acestrorhynchus spp.and Ctenolucious spp.and Luciocharax (Boulengerella) spp.
African pike characoids (Hepsetus spp. and Ichthyboridae,
rhapiodontid characoids (Hydrolycus spp. and Raphiodon (Cynodon) spp.
banded knifefish (Gymnotus carapo)
pike killifish (Belonesox belizanus)
cichlids (Crenicichla spp. and Batachops spp.)

Supposedly the restricted species may be allowed under a Dept. of Agriculture and Commerce permit process where environmental impact has been assessed, whatever that process looks like.
 
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I thought Illinois sucked but Mississippi has banned many common fish available in the hobby.

Snakeheads (including, but not limited to, all fishes of the genera Channa and Parachanna, and others of the family Channidae)
*Fish or viable eggs of the walking catfish, Clariidae family
*Mollusks, veligers or viable eggs of zebra mussels, genus Dreissena
*Crustaceans or viable eggs of mitten crabs, genus Eriocheir
River ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus)
*Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)
*Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)
*Black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)
Gobies (round, tubenose) (Neogobius melanostomus, Proterorhinus marmoratus)
Rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus). Possession of living rusty crayfish is prohibited for all except the holders of an approved aquaculture permit with a letter of authorization to import/possess this species.
Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)
Stone moroko (Pseudorasbora parva)
Zander (Sander lucioperca)
Wels catfish (Silurus glanis)
Killer Shrimp (Dikerogammarus villosus)
Yabby (Cherax destructor)
Golden mussel (Limnoperna fortune).
 
I think this is a good thing and I believe USAQUA will be a good organization but remember this is USFWS. this would make them federally legal. If your state bans them this doesn't change that. Once this goes through you should reach out to your state regulators.
 
I also live in a jurisdiction, the Canadian province of Manitoba, that has a very extensive list of banned species. Many of those species could not survive in the wild in our harsh climate, but are likely listed due to the difficulty of identifying them in the field. If one or two species in this genus are potentially bad...better ban 'em all just to be safe.

There are also species...native North American species...that are banned up here, despite the fact that many of them already live in our waterways but have up to this point been found only south of the Canada/US border where those rivers originate. As the climate gradually warms, it seems inevitable that at least some of those species will begin to spread northward into Canada. Dang...we need to figure out a way to ban that...

As an aquarist who enjoyed keeping natives back in the day, all these overly cautious policies definitely cramp my style. I wish it were otherwise, but I still think it's better to err on the side of caution than the reverse. When it comes to invasives...once the genie is out of the bottle, he ain't going back in.

I'll be honest about this: looking around at the state of the world today, I find it sadly hilarious that some folks can bother to get so worked up over their inability to buy and keep a certain species of fish. I vote for politicians who I believe will work to improve the conditions where I live. If I were to hear that one of them wasted time with trying to legalize an aquarium fish...I would not be a happy camper and would let them know how I felt.
 
If i see a politician making small changes that help the people i think its pretty neat. Theres plenty of big stuff to worry about that will never change so doing small things can be worth a lot more than just aiming for stars youll never reach.

That said its good a lot of species are banned in some places, the lists just need an update / rework is all, should it be a politicians first priority? Hell no. Would i be happy if they did it on the side? Hell yes.

But to each their own, doing one thing doesnt exclude the other is what im trying to say i guess.

Over here in the Netherlands i see a lot of chipped arowana's, not that they would survive even in summer days for more than 2 weeks here but its reasonable to keep track on species that might somehow become invasive. Also for insurance and possible theft prevention. Yes peoples fish have been stolen before...

As long as every fish gets chipped and owners need some kinda license and registration i dont see a reason to not allow sales of certain species.
 
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