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Ornamental fish: pets or pests?
The ornamental fish industry in Australia - which includes traders, fish breeders, retail outlets and the hobby industry - is estimated to be worth $350 million a year.
Aquarium fish make great pets, but if they are released into the wild they can pose a serious threat to Australia’s aquatic biodiversity.
Ornamental fish and aquarium plants can be dumped or released, often making their way into our waterways. This has resulted in a number of exotic fish species establishing a presence in Australia, seriously affecting the biodiversity of our freshwater systems.
Whereas some control is already occurring, through quarantine regulations and State fishery regulations, there is no consistency between the regulatory agencies dealing with the issue of noxious, aquatic pests. Despite several attempts to regulate the industry, nothing workable has eventuated.
To address this problem, the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council has endorsed a national strategy - A Strategic Approach to the Management of Ornamental Fish in Australia. The strategy was developed by the Ornamental Fish Policy Working Group in close consultation with industry and other stakeholders. It looks at the potential for aquarium fish to become pests and makes seven main recommendations on managing and regulating their trade. Key recommendations include the need for a nationally recognised noxious species list; new management frameworks for the ornamental sector, better communication with stakeholders and a public awareness campaign on the dangers of releasing fish where they can get into waterways, and what to do with them if they are no longer wanted.
An Ornamental Fish Management Implementation Group has been created to progress the implementation of the strategy. This group has representatives from all jurisdictions as well as industry and hobby sector representatives and a member from the Aquatic Animal Health Committee.
The latest facts about keeping ornamental fish
Ornamental fish are well-suited to aquariums but, if released into Australia’s natural waterways, could threaten Australia’s aquatic environment.
The national strategy released in 2006: A Strategic Approach to the Management of Ornamental Fish in Australia, contains a proposed national noxious ornamental aquarium fish species list and a “grey” list of species that require further review.
The states and territories have either formalised or are in the process of formalising the noxious species list in their legislation. Where there was not unanimous agreement on the status of a species, it was added to the grey list.
Scientists and industry representatives from around Australia, including from the state and Australian governments, recently reviewed a risk identification method and results for categorising grey list ornamental fish according to the probability of their establishment in the wild and their potential environmental impact.
Results of the workshop are still being reviewed. However there is a significant number of grey list species that fall into the high risk category.
The listing of grey-listed species as noxious is the responsibility of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council and will then be taken up by the states and territories.
Treatment of noxious species, the regulations and how they are enforced is determined by state and territory governments.
A copy of A Strategic Approach to the Management of Ornamental Fish in Australia can be obtained through the BRS Shop.
Updates from the Chair of the Ornamental Fish Management Implementation Group on the review of grey-list species
18 November 2008
In 2006 the national strategy, A Strategic Approach to the Management of Ornamental Fish in Australia, was approved by the Australian, state and territory governments through the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC). It contains a list of noxious ornamental aquarium fish species that the states and territories have agreed to control through legislation.
Where there was not unanimous agreement on the noxious status of an ornamental fish species, it was added to a list to be reviewed to determine whether it presented a high risk to the Australian environment if released either deliberately or accidentally. The national strategy states that these species require further technical consideration and risk assessment. This list is commonly called the ‘grey list’.
Scientists and industry representatives from around Australia, recently reviewed a range of ornamental fish species on the grey list and considered their risk of establishing in the wild and their potential environmental impact. The review covered approximately 140 of the 780 species currently on the grey list. The review process identified species that were considered high and low risk and species that were of direct importance to the aquarium trade and hobby sector. The results of the review were considered by the Ornamental Fish Management Implementation Group (OFMIG) on 7 November 2008. The recommendations of that meeting were:
- high risk species unlikely to be of direct importance to the trade and hobby sectors (as identified by representatives of industry and hobby groups) will be released for public comment before states and territories proceed to list them as noxious
- high risk species identified as being of importance to the trade and hobby sectors will be subject to stakeholder consultation to discuss management options
- a stakeholder workshop will be run in 2009 to consult with stakeholders.
The recommendations from OFMIG will be considered by the NRM Marine and Coastal Committee (MACC) prior to implementation. The decision to list grey-listed species as noxious is the responsibility of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, which is representative of all governments in Australia. Control through legislation will then be taken up by the states and territories.
You should be aware that species not listed on the national live import list are prohibited imports. People importing and keeping them may need to demonstrate lawful import. For a copy of the live import list please see the following website: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/lists/import/pubs/live-import-list.pdf
Further information and a copy of A Strategic Approach to the Management of Ornamental Fish in Australia can be obtained at the following website: http://www.daff.gov.au/brs/fisheries-marine/environment/ornamental
Yours sincerely
Will Zacharin
Chair
Ornamental Fish Management Implementation Group