phaedraeos
04-14-2009, 01:48 PM
Hi All,
I thought I'd make everyone aware of a bill that's making its way through congress called H.R. 669: Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. If this bill goes through as written, there are only 15 non-native species that will be allowed to be legally bought, sold, transported, traded, bartered, etc. in the United States, with the option of adding more species after an environmental review for each submitted species.
The only fish species on this list is . . . wait for it . . . Goldfish. An species that's already federally recognized as being invasive.
If this bill passes as written, not a single marine organism will legally be allowed to be traded, sold in or imported into the United States. Each species not on the list will have to be individually submitted for approval.
The list (as written) is:
(D) does not include any cat (Felis catus), cattle or oxen (Bos taurus), chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris), donkey or ass (Equus asinus), domesticated members of the family Anatidae (geese), duck (domesticated Anas spp.), goat (Capra aegagrus hircus), goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus), horse (Equus caballus), llama (Lama glama), mule or hinny (Equus caballus x E. asinus), pig or hog (Sus scrofa domestica), domesticated varieties of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), or sheep (Ovis aries), or any other species or variety of species that is determined by the Secretary to be common and clearly domesticated.
No reptiles, no parrots, no hampsters, nothin'.
You can see the bill in its entirety here:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-669
There are two Representatives from Mass who are cosponsoring this bill:
James McGovern
Barney Frank
The bill is also supported by the HSUS and (of course), PETA.
I urge everyone to contact their representatives - ESPECIALLY if you're represented by either Mr. McGovern or Mr. Frank - and tell them what a poorly written, narrow piece of legislation this is. It will do NOTHING to prevent the spread of invasive species. Each state has their own list which is much more appropriate to the individual biotopes contained within that state than a federal, all-encompassing list. There's no reason to outlaw Bearded Dragons anywhere north of New Mexico.
What especially thrills me is that if this bill passes as written, and the owner of the now-banned pet is unable to care for it any longer, no matter what the reason, the only available option is euthanasia (no trade, no barter, etc.)
Finally, and this is the important part, say goodbye to the reef and aquarium business if this bill passes. Say goodbye to captively breeding clownfish and cardinals and all else we do to try to keep this hobby - and the livestock - alive and happy. There is no way that the reef and aquarium industries will be able to survive with an exclusionary list like this, no matter how extensive it is.
Thanks for reading,
~Betsy
I thought I'd make everyone aware of a bill that's making its way through congress called H.R. 669: Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. If this bill goes through as written, there are only 15 non-native species that will be allowed to be legally bought, sold, transported, traded, bartered, etc. in the United States, with the option of adding more species after an environmental review for each submitted species.
The only fish species on this list is . . . wait for it . . . Goldfish. An species that's already federally recognized as being invasive.
If this bill passes as written, not a single marine organism will legally be allowed to be traded, sold in or imported into the United States. Each species not on the list will have to be individually submitted for approval.
The list (as written) is:
(D) does not include any cat (Felis catus), cattle or oxen (Bos taurus), chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris), donkey or ass (Equus asinus), domesticated members of the family Anatidae (geese), duck (domesticated Anas spp.), goat (Capra aegagrus hircus), goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus), horse (Equus caballus), llama (Lama glama), mule or hinny (Equus caballus x E. asinus), pig or hog (Sus scrofa domestica), domesticated varieties of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), or sheep (Ovis aries), or any other species or variety of species that is determined by the Secretary to be common and clearly domesticated.
No reptiles, no parrots, no hampsters, nothin'.
You can see the bill in its entirety here:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-669
There are two Representatives from Mass who are cosponsoring this bill:
James McGovern
Barney Frank
The bill is also supported by the HSUS and (of course), PETA.
I urge everyone to contact their representatives - ESPECIALLY if you're represented by either Mr. McGovern or Mr. Frank - and tell them what a poorly written, narrow piece of legislation this is. It will do NOTHING to prevent the spread of invasive species. Each state has their own list which is much more appropriate to the individual biotopes contained within that state than a federal, all-encompassing list. There's no reason to outlaw Bearded Dragons anywhere north of New Mexico.
What especially thrills me is that if this bill passes as written, and the owner of the now-banned pet is unable to care for it any longer, no matter what the reason, the only available option is euthanasia (no trade, no barter, etc.)
Finally, and this is the important part, say goodbye to the reef and aquarium business if this bill passes. Say goodbye to captively breeding clownfish and cardinals and all else we do to try to keep this hobby - and the livestock - alive and happy. There is no way that the reef and aquarium industries will be able to survive with an exclusionary list like this, no matter how extensive it is.
Thanks for reading,
~Betsy