Illegal Fish and LFS'

[Morgan Freeman]

they knew there was a ban in the 1st place you, should of looked into it before importing.

Did they though? Do you think the shop has time to investigate the legal status of species every time something new pops up on the importers list?

Yes fair enough you could probably expect an experienced aquarist to know they were illegal. But if a fish comes up on an importers list most would just assume they are legally able to be imported and would do so without realising their error.

Fair enough if the shop intentionally imported an illegal fish then by all means report them, but we don't necessarily know that's the case, they may be completely unaware

You say the shop told you the ban had been lifted, one could quite easily assume that if something previously banned appeared on an import list that the ban had therefore been lifted

Ignorance is no excuse when it comes to breaking the law. The store should have known and if they didn't, tough.

 

[Gill]

Looks like they are on sale in a few more shops, email addy given to those who want it.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Is grassing on the store the correct thing to do? The store may have been unaware these fish were illegal in the trade, and assumed that if it came up on an importers list that they were legal to import / sell in the uk?

Absolutely it's the right thing to do - Ignorantia juris non excusat - ignorance of the law does not excuse - so whether they knew or not is irrelevant…but I find it difficult to believe they didn't. Either way it's important to educate, to prevent future occurrences.

Speaking as someone who has dedicated more than their fair share of time and effort to the conservation of threatened and endangered species and habitats - these laws are created for a reason and it is the responsibility of us all to ensure that they are effectively policed regardless of the consequences for the individual.

The potential extinction of a species is no trivial matter (for a mountain of reasons) and especially since we are in the midst of mass extinction the like of which has not been seen since Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, approximately 65.5 million years ago. Only this time man is largely to blame and not nature.

 

[Christor]

Wow didnt know that most crayfish are banned...I know of a girl who has them but she is from the ROI so obviously laws may differ as to the UK laws and personally im not sure if Ireland even has crayfish

As for those importing or selling to these stores, I would wonder their names and whether they are UK based companies too, as surely the blame could also be thrown onto them?

 

[Tim Harrison]

Unfortunately there are several alien species of crayfish in our rivers, streams, and lakes etc, but by far the most lethal to our own native white-clawed crayfish is the North American signal crayfish. It was introduced during the 1970s to be farmed for the dinner plate. Many were subsequently released or escaped in to the wild.

They impact on populations of our native species in many ways not least are interspecific competition for resources and predation, but the most pervasive impact is caused by crayfish plague; a fungal disease. The signal crayfish is resistant to the disease and a suspected vector. Unfortunately our native species isn't resistant and mortality usually follows within 2 weeks of initial infection as it succumbs to the fungi’s mycotoxins.

An analogy is the North American grey squirrel which has spread at the expense of our native red squirrel. But these are just two examples of alien introductions that are wreaking havoc on our ecosystems, there are many more. That is why it is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to introduce non-native species without permission of Natural England and has been since 1981, and before that under the Destructive Imported Animals Act 1932.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

but she is from the ROI so obviously laws may differ as to the UK laws and personally im not sure if Ireland even has crayfish

Ireland has the same native Crayfish as we do the "White Clawed Crayfish" and it is also protected under ROI law, so I would be surprised it it is legal to keep other Crayfish species in the ROI.

cheers Darrel