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Fisheries targeting WA shrimp again


viridisornatus

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  • 2 weeks later...

There's been an update, the following quote is from Facebook. The owner of Morley Aquariums (Paul) had a visit today from WA fisheries (Yes that's right, a government department was working on a Sunday!)

 

 

 

Hi all, just had a visit from fisheries. Confirmed that the keeping & sale of shrimp is not going to be tolerated. Shops now, private sellers soon.
Also going to be chasing obviously smuggled exotics such as aros, birchirs etc.
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One thing that I've seen missing from the hobbyist side of this discussion is acknowledgement that there have been release of a native, but translocated, shrimp into the wild in WA, coincidently in mid 2013, not long before the raids started.

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/biosecurity/freshwater_pest_fact_sheet_indistinct_river_shrimp.pdf

Whilst I don't point fingers at our hobby because 99.999999% of the people in this hobby know better than to release shrimp or any other organism for that matter (either unintentionally or intentionally), I cant think of any other industry that would have been a more likely conduit for the transfer C. indistintca to WA. Please feel free to disagree and suggest other possible avenues, but its pointless arguing anyway because the damage is done. Regardless of whether the hobby is responsible or not, we are the obvious target. Moreover this probably explains why this has been limited to WA (so far).

I feel for the shrimp keepers in WA who have done the right thing and now have to pay for someones screw-up. Hang tough guys and gals.

However for us in the east, let this be a reminder that we must:

NEVER RELEASE INHABITANTS FROM AQUARIA INTO THE WILD, EVEN IF THEY ARE NATIVE.

This includes ensuring things cant escape from your ponds outside, an entry way for exotic organisms that often isn't given much thought.

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That is something I have not heard mentioned either.

Sorry to hear this is now a potential headache for all in WA.

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I agree with fishmosy but how do they know it wasn't transfered by waterfowl or some other natural cause?

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How can we better educate our members about this? Happy to use the library or some other means of ensuring we get the message across to ensure our waterways remain protected. We certainly don't want to be bundled in with the likes of those that flush their fish down the toilet.

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I agree with fishmosy but how do they know it wasn't transfered by waterfowl or some other natural cause?

Its highly unlikely that the shrimp were transported from the east coast of Australia to the west coast by natural means (without showing up somewhere in between, and there is no evidence that has occurred). Its far more likely humans were involved.

How can we better educate our members about this? Happy to use the library or some other means of ensuring we get the message across to ensure our waterways remain protected. We certainly don't want to be bundled in with the likes of those that flush their fish down the toilet.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Unfortunately it only takes one individual to stuff everything up for everybody and it is often difficult to get the message out.

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On the same subject but slightly different, there was a Talapia fishing comp on just recently to help rid a local lake of this pest & one of the entrants caught a 30cm Flowerhorn! Yes you read right, a 30cm Flowerhorn!! I think it's disgusting that this sort of thing goes on & I think it's incredibly irresponsible for people to ruin our waterways with unwanted livestock that they didn't know what they were getting into because they "just don't have the heart to destroy it" or just couldn't be bothered to try to dispose of it responsibly. I agree that something has to be done but targeting the responsible fish/shrimp keepers isn't the way to do it. It's always one person that ruins it for the rest of us, very very disappointing indeed. :angry:

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As frustrating, wrong and environmentally damaging fish dumping is I have to wonder how many of the alien species got into our waterways from the likes of floods. Right now our local water management organisations are worried about recent discoveries of tilapia in our creek systems, considering how many floods there has been in this region over the past 10 years, I think its highly likely the tilapia came from somebodies stocked dam somewhere (or even those environmental nightmares people call golf courses, keep in mind that golf courses where originally targeted for stocking tilapia as mozzie control in their water hazards), and even though we haven't had any really big  news making floods for a couple of years (we have still had minor floods) the tilapia have been able to set up shop and not be washed away yet to colonise more waterways. It also brings to mind articles I have read in overseas fish magazines about people seeing goldfish being washed away in floods and managing rescue them.

 

Unfortunately the likes of the RPSCA has enough problems with educating people about not dumping cats and dogs and even how important spaying is in decreasing the unwanted population, so I feel having the RSPCA (or such like) take the dumping of fish under their wings too is asking the thin sheet to spread to far.

So maybe sites like this one can be pro-active. Maybe we can develop some flyers/ posters highlighting the problems of dumping unwanted fish/ plants and shrimp into waterways. Such posters could be available on this site for people to download and print and then display them in our local pet and fish shops. Sadly while we need to teach people the wrongs of dumping we also need to give them a way of disposing of their unwanted fish etc. So maybe in conjunction there needs to be a volunteers group across Australia that are able and willing to house unwanted fish etc until either their natural death or they can be rehomed into a permanent home.

 

Remember people the government leglislates to try and stop people doing stupid things, so if the fish keeping hobby can show a untied front in the reduction of dumping and have measures in place to teach the public then the government has no reason to stick its nose in and start banning things hell west and crooked.

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Like the approach. Education is the key to this and having something available at LFS for new customers could get things engrained at the beginning.

I have always thought of a rehousing project as the RSPCA never has tanks full of unwanted fish.

It probably doesn't help that many LFS, due to illness and disease, don't accept home bred stock from enthusiasts. This can lead to excess stocks needing relocation. That is when it comes down to owner controls and separating breeding pairs to control populations.

Their could be a network established for rehousing unwanted fish stock. If rehousing is not possible within a set period then euthanising to ensure no potential pest problem. Similar to the RSPCA model. Also an amnesty on surrendering toxic species could assist also.

In the major floods a few years back we caught a lot of goldfish out of the local river, I am sure it was only a small percentage of what was relocated but I suppose every bit helps.

I would consider becoming part of a rehousing project.

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Really good ideas there pretty sure something could be done to raise awareness

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I think that targeting the shrimp keeping hobbyists is not only dumb, but counterproductive. I seriously doubt that they will find any caridins nt's in their waterways. Correct me if I am wrong but they are talking about east coast natives? Odds are that if someone in the aquarium hobby has australiensis shrimp in their tank, they caught it in the river, and if they released it, it would be into the bin, dead. I just can't see people smuggling them into WA.

 

I am not saying that it is just not possible I am trying to say that it is far more likely that "farmer brown" shipped in a load of 1000 or more to stock his dam with.

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I think that targeting the shrimp keeping hobbyists is not only dumb, but counterproductive. I seriously doubt that they will find any caridins nt's in their waterways. Correct me if I am wrong but they are talking about east coast natives? Odds are that if someone in the aquarium hobby has australiensis shrimp in their tank, they caught it in the river, and if they released it, it would be into the bin, dead. I just can't see people smuggling them into WA.

 

I am not saying that it is just not possible I am trying to say that it is far more likely that "farmer brown" shipped in a load of 1000 or more to stock his dam with.

They have found Caridina indistincta (an east coast native) in creeks in WA, hence why I think the crackdown has occurred (see my link in a previous post).

You are absolutely right that there are a variety of ways that C. indistincta may have been transferred from the east coast to the west. However the aquarium hobby is the most obvious route, and hence why I think we have been targeted. I don't think fisheries do things for the 'fun' of it, they aren't inclined to be bastards for the sake of being bastards, but they are required by law to prevent things like release of non-native species into the wild. Its one of their many functions. Obviously they are going to try to make sure it doesn't happen again, hence a crackdown. Regardless of whether the aquarium hobby is responsible for the release of the C. indistincta doesn't really matter because we are the most obvious route that it could have happened.

Dont get me wrong. I dont like fisheries departments as much as the next guy. In many cases their management of fish stocks in Australia and the decisions they make simply are not up to par. However, in this case I think their response is totally predictable and in some ways justified. I'm just sorry that it is the innocent hobbyists in WA who have to pay for someone elses screw-up.

Whether you agree or disagree with the actions of WA fisheries, it is up to the hobby to demonstrate that we are responsible and that we are doing everything possible to ensure that we aren't dumping aquarium species and that we try to educate as many people as possible about the dangers of dumping aquarium species into the wild.

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To all SKF members,

If you are thinking of getting out of the hobby and want to dump your shrimp in the toilet, drain or gutter ... don't.  :mad:

GIVE THEM TO MEEEE!!!!!  :rock:

I'll even pay for the shipping. If you are near enough for pick up, I'll even dispose of your aquarium tank for you free of charge!!

 

 

<edit> - you might think I'm making light of the subject, but I'm actually kinda serious  :wink:

Edited by jayc
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To all SKF members,

If you are thinking of getting out of the hobby and want to dump your shrimp in the toilet, drain or gutter ... don't.  :mad:

GIVE THEM TO MEEEE!!!!!  :rock:

I'll even pay for the shipping. If you are near enough for pick up, I'll even dispose of your aquarium tank for you free of charge!!

 

 

<edit> - you might think I'm making light of the subject, but I'm actually kinda serious  :wink:

No, send them to me!! Lol

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Looks like this planet will inevitably be ruled by survival of the fittest no matter what we try to do.

Don't dump your animals/pets.....its cruel all round.

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HAHa,

 

I guess the point is, there should be no reason to flush unwanted livestock down the drain.

There are plenty of people that would gladly help out.

 

Just ask.

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Speaking from a household full of unwanted's I would volunteer my tanks or fish room to either temp or permanently house unwanted fish and plant stocks. My track record to date for waifs and strays is the past 5 cats ( all of them where stray kittens found at my work depot, 3 I kept myself and two I found other homes for), my past three dogs (and most likely my next future dog) and various native birds and animals that needed raising/ medical help have all passed through my house.

Because I am a sucker for cats I am even currently working on the other half to agree to this beauty that is semi-tame and living in one of my parks.

1199_zps9df9af65.jpg

Unfortunately I would also have to convince these other house inhabitants to agree to any extra set of paws in the house.

1188_zps5df8d538.jpg

And don't be fooled by the cosy pic, these two only buried the hatchet because they wanted to sleep on me.

But seriously fish keepers are the easy targets for banning the keeping of certain species, just as recreational fishers are easy to blame for the declines in fish stocks accused of taking under sized and excess bag limits. There fore it is up to us as hobbiests to prove that we are serious about the rehoming of stock and want to do all in our power to educate every new fish keeper about the rights and wrongs relating to all avenues of fish keeping.

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I sounds as though the WA fisheries officers prediction of other states starting to crack down on illegal species is coming true.

I heard on the news the other night how dept Environment and Heritage/ National parks and wildlife have done some raids on Brisbane houses and found unlicensed turtles, snakes and even a crocodile. They even stated that they will be targeting online selling sites and networking sites which often sell animals.

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