List of Commonly Imported Blacklisted Species

Hey all,
Another topic that’s been discussed a hundred times I’m afraid..

So it’s a common issue that LFSs sell blacklisted species. It seems that it’s just as common that when challenged, their defence is that they don’t even know what’s blacklisted. This is especially the case with the okes that start up little shops at their homes and advertise on Gumtree etc.

So someone in conversation this afternoon suggested that we should have a list of commonly imported species that are blacklisted which we could give to them and at least remove the “I didn’t know†excuse. I know a lot of people here will feel that we’re farting against thunder and that it’ll never make any difference, but flip, surely we have to be seen to be proactive and do what little we can to protect our environment from invasive species?

Firstly, is there general support for this approach?

Secondly, what should go on the list? I’ve got the blacklist from Aug 2014, but there’s hundreds of species on there. The other issue is that there’s confusion about what is actually blacklisted and what was only on the old list but not on the new list and therefore should become legal when the old list expires, or something like that. Are there people that are more familiar with this that could advise us? @HennieRoux ?

If all else fails, we could just start populating it bit by bit. For instance:

Fish and amphibians:
Common (Gibbiceps) plecostomus
Red belly pacu
Red ear slider turtle

Plants:
Hornwart
Duckweed
Elodia

And so on and so on...

Thoughts? Suggestions? Cries of outrage? Pledges of support?

 

I'm sorry, I'm a cynic, but good luck with that, especially in kzn where most of the bl stuff on gumtree seems to originate.

 

Same deal with jewel cichlids etc. What I notice is that they sell the fish under different names to help with the "ignorance" claim... What I find worse than blacklisted species are dyed fish, and yes, I've seen them in LFS very recently, like the past two months in fact.

 

I believe it's the pet traders association job to educate the LPS.
Government will eventually realise, that self-regulation doesn't work.

 

Up here you'll battle to find a fish shop that doesn't sell them (dyed fish) , and let's not get started how betta's are kept.
If anyone is really aggrieved,laying a charge with the saps is an option, so is lodging a complaint with the local DEA. I don't believe lfs do not know that they're selling bl stock, it's profitable, nobody checks on you, so there's no downside

 

@RoGe, I think it is a good idea.

The "I didn't know that they are blacklisted" really is bs. And especially if it is a new petshop. I would think if you are investing in a new business, you would do some research. Hell, I would.

Yes here in kzn, bl stuff is everywhere. Especially a place in dbn. Wont name names, but they freely advertise red ear slider turtles, lobsters, etc. But sadly, no one is regulating it.

If somehow we can list, as Roge mentioned, the most common BL fish and inverts and print out the list and just give it to the petshops, that will be start.

Whether they use it or not is up to them.

Another thing is to educate the public. Which is the difficult part. People are ignorant and won't listen.

Anyways, just my 2c worth.

 

I visited a lfs a couple of weeks ago. He is selling snakeheads under the name polypterus. I informed the store owner that is actually a snakehead. He story was that he didnt know what it was and bought it under the name polypterus

 

To me it seems authorities are just drawing up these blacklists to cover their asses.
If a species becomes invasive they can say it's banned..."we did our job"...
But virtually nothing is being done to educate pet traders and the general public...never mind enforcing these regulations.

 

To be honest I never knew about the blacklisting on Plant/Fish Species until I joined this forum and were guided by some of the member here.

 

What I have learnt the last 18 months of my life regarding this, is that our government has no idea, and frankly dont give a horses arse as well. There are certain people that will try and help, but other will not even try. They have no idea even what is blacklisted, and why it is blacklisted.
Now, just because its of the black list does not mean it is now on the white list, unless an Impact risk Assesment is done on the species, and only then only it will be leagle.
So to answer your question @RoGe it is unfortunately just a waste of time! Sad sad sad I tell you with tears in my navy blue eyes!

 

@HennieRoux ... navy blue?? You sure?? :tongue:

 

I tell yah its navy blue....but the secret is never give up, and you will get results, even if it takes 2 years :tongue:

 

Jeez, someone is going to get a rude awakening when they unleash a snakehead in their tank

 

Here the blacklisted species is shared between knowledgeable people. My issue is that it can't be reported somewhere where something is actually done about it.

 

@Vis the truth is, that they just dont care, even if you report it.

 

That's hundreds @Jwh , the world needs cynics, and us optimists need you guys to bring us back down to earth and force us to be more practical and therefore more effective!
That's exactly the thing, the KZN okes are selling all sorts of stuff on Gumtree, we've had a few guys join our whatsapp group that are selling these things and they genuinely (I think) didn't have a clue that they were blacklisted. 99% of customers out there have no clue either.

This is very sad Hennie, and I am disappointed and a little discouraged that this has been your experience. I do still feel that there are a few people in government departments that really do care about doing their job well, the issue is trying to find them. But I don't take your experience lightly.

I think I need to make it clear why I feel strongly about this. Yes, I try to be a law-abiding citizen, and feel that we all benefit when people stick to the laws. But my major concern here is invasive species. The Amanzimtoti river that I drive across every day is overtaken by invasive plants. They do expensive clean-up operations, and then in a few months it's just as bad as it was. Our local dams have similar issues. I care about our rivers and dams being overtaken by single species - that's why I want to educate people. Yes, the threat of the government banning our hobby if invasive species take over is also there (but a weak threat to be honest), but my major concern is the actual impact on our local waterways. I want to drive over a beautiful river every day, not a choked sea of alien plants, with barely anything managing to survive beneath them.

So that's why I'm not that concerned about whether the government actually acts on the blacklist or not - it gives some motivation to the average man on the street to sit up and listen, but ultimately I want to help to protect my local environment from invasive species rather than to make sure that we all stick to the government's rules.

 

I bet these invasive plants you see in your river have been introduced by government officials themselves back in the day for their water cleaning ability and are not a byproduct of the pet trade.

 

I might of jumped the gun here a bit. Got some good news today....finally. Watch this space

 

That may very well be the case (I have no clue to be honest), but it does give me an example of what invasive plants can do. I'm not for a moment blaming the issue with the Amanzimtoti river on the pet trade (sorry, I can see that wasn't clear from my earlier posts), but I do see that there is the risk that the pet trade may contribute to issues like this in the future, and if writing up an easy-to-read list to educate those that have no other way of knowing better can reduce this risk, then I think it's worth it.

 

Sure,there is always a risk.
But the truth is that we wouldn't need any of this if people were smart enough not to dump their unwanted fish and plants into the wild.
So i feel it's more education that's needed here,then more laws and restrictions that no one seems to care about and can not be enforced.