Arowana experts, and Australian imports

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Doggfather

Al Bundy
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Hey everybody, as a lot of you already know, us fishkeepers have trouble getting fish into the country due to our extremly tight import laws. I'v been in contact with the Department of the Environment and Heritage as well the the Australian director of the international wildlife trade and i'v gotten quite far in the process of trying to allow the importation of certain species of fish.

In order to ammend the EPBC Act (the law which determines which animals and plants can and can't be imported) you need to fill out a rather lengthy form with information about the species of fish you wish to import. i know the answer to some of these questions but others i have no idea about others.

If you have any knowledge on Black or Silver Arowanas could you please PM me and help me answer some of these question :thumbs:

Also, if any Australias out there have any fish they would like to have, but can't because it's importation is illegal, please post here or PM me and i'll compile a list and send them to the person in the DEH i'm in communication with.

Thanks for your help everybody
 
What are the questions dogg? I may be able to help but it depends on what they are.
 
ty dogg for standing up for us :clap:

yeh, i want some plecs we dont get. :nod:

DD
 
I want a Violet Goby, and fresh water puffers. I have never seen any fw puffers in any lfs. I dont even know if they are illegal :p i just never seen them so i asumed.
 
Heres a list of all the Questions that need answering. On the actual form there is a "dont know" box you can tick but the more i fill in, the better :thumbs:

Section 1 Taxonomic information

1. Identify which family the species belongs to.
2. Identify which genus the species belongs to.
3. Identify the species.
4. Note what common names the species is known as (if any)

For example, Splash Tetras, also known as Characins and Jumping Tetras (common names), are known scientifically as Copeina arnoldi, where 'Copeina' is the genus and 'arnoldi' is the species. All tetras belong to the family Lebiasinidae.

5. Is the species a genetically-modified organism (GMO)? Identify if the species has been genetically modified. If your species has been genetically modified or engineered, you will need to contact the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (www.ogtr.gov.au) before proceeding with this application.

What is the proposed purpose of the import? Specify the reason you are planning to import the species. This may be for eligible non-commercial purposes such as research, education, exhibition, conservation breeding, household pet or travelling exhibition, or for commercial purposes.

Section 2 General information

7. Is this species ever aggressive? Identify whether this species has ever acted in an aggressive manner towards other species, including humans, outside of any usual predator-prey interactions.
8. Has the species ever injured people? Identify whether there are any recorded instances of this species causing harm to people.
9. Does the animal have organs capable of inflicting harm? A positive response for this question would arise if the species has organs such as teeth, a bill, spines, claws or nematocysts that are capable of causing injuries to people that are more significant than minor cuts or bruises.
10. Can the species release toxins that are harmful to people? Identify if this species produces toxins that may cause harm to humans. If yes, indicate if an antivenin is available.
11. How much do adults of this species weigh? Provide information on the weight range of adults of both sex.
12. What countries does this species occur in naturally? What is the natural distribution of this species. Exclude any areas where the species has been introduced through human intervention.
13. Has this species ever established a breeding population outside of its native range? Identify any areas where this species has established a breeding population outside of its natural range.
14. What is the diet of this species? Identify what type of food this species eats:

Carnivore - taken to include animals that eat primarily other animals.
Herbivore - taken to include animals that eat primarily plant matter or algae.
Omnivore - these animals eat a broad range of food from both animals and plant/algal origins.

15. If this species is a strict herbivore or a strict carnivore, does it have a broad, generalised diet, or a narrow, specialised diet? If the species is a strict herbivore or carnivore, identify whether it eats a wide variety of plants or animals, or if it is a specialist feeder on only one or two types of food. An example of strict carnivores is baleen whales which eats primarily krill.
16. Can the species live in modified habitats? Identify if this species can live in habitats that have been modified by humans, either directly or indirectly.
17. Is the species considered a pest anywhere in its natural or introduced range? A pest is a species of animals that causes widescale economic cost or amenity loss through its presence or activities. Identify whether this species is subject to active management to reduce population numbers.
18. Has the species ever been recorded causing damage to … [see list]? Identify if this species has been recorded as having a detrimental impact on the identified groups of animals and activities.
19. Does the species attack or prey on wildlife? Identify if the species has the capacity to attack or prey on the listed wildlife.
20. Is the species susceptible to, or could it transmit any diseases or parasites that can harm people? Identify if the species could potentially transmit harmful diseases or parasites to humans.
21. Could wild populations of the species use the same resources as native Australian species? This question seeks to identify if the species could compete with native Australian species.
22. Does the species nest, shelter or feed in or around any of the following habitats? This question seeks to identify if the species could impact on the listed habitats.
23. Does the species construct burrows or dig near or around waterways? Identify if the species does/can burrow or otherwise disturb the substrate (soil or sand) around waterways.
24. Does the species eat or disturb wetlands? This question seeks to identify if the species may have a negative impact on native wetland vegetation.
25. Could the species cause pollution of water bodies? This question seeks to identify if the species could impact native aquatic flora and fauna by polluting waterways.
26. Could the species hybridise with any Australian native species? Identify whether the species could negatively impact native species through hybridisation.
27. Is the species already present in Australia? Identify if this species already occurs in Australia. If possible, also indicate when this species was first introduced.
28. Have you attached draft Terms of Reference for the assessment of the potential impacts of importing the species on the Australian environment? Suggested draft Terms of Reference are at the back of the application form. You must attach draft Terms of Reference to the application form. Your application cannot be processed without these as it is a statutory requirement under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
29. Declaration by the applicant. You must complete the Declaration by writing your name, signing and dating the form. Without these entries, the form is not complete and will be returned to you for completion.

And thats all there is too it :lol:

So if anybody knows the answer to one of these question please post it or pm me!

Thanks for your co-operation everybody, much appriciated
 
Now there is your tax dollar at work :)
beurocracy at it's best.

don't they want to know the fishes IQ as well?
 
errrrm...well thats certainly a lot of questions :crazy:

How about highlighting the ones you are having problems with and then we can work from there, answering all of them is like taking a bloody exam :lol:
 
The ones i'm having trouble with, or i need to be sure of are the ones in bold, once they get answered i'll un - bold them
 
5) No

7) No

8) No

9) No

10) No

11) silvers max recorded weight 4,600g blacks max recorded size unknown but max recorded length 1 meter

13) No

15) Broad and generalised

16) I dont really understand this question, both species could live in sections of river that have been altered by man but what fish couldnt?

17) No

20) No

21) Yes, both species could compete with native arowana species Scleropages jardini and Scleropages leichardtii and other surface orientated predators.

23) No

24) No

25) No

26) No
 
This has been dug up from the past, but i thought i'd update the situation....

Been rejected :sad: although they might be allowed to be imported for public display, so thats a start i guess....anyway, thanks for ya help CFC, appriciated, i'm going to lodge another one for a couple of plecs maybe, if i have time to fill out all those forms :lol:
 
hi doggfather
. hey they wont alllow you to import fish that allready here. the silvers and jardini are readily available here. good luck with the paper chase.
just get together with otheres and i can send 25 beautifull juvenile jardini. freight free . perfect fish ..






i hope im allowed to post that erk
 
Hi Al, AKA doggfather

don't feel too disheartened by the rejection. ANGFA spent years trying to bring in New Guinea rainbowfishes legally and got turned down every step of the way. Eventually they did allow Glossolepis incisus in but that is the only one. The problem most of us have (besides the bull sh_t papertrail is we already have most of the New Guinea rainbows here and we only want new bloodlines. Stupid government won't even allow that.
 
Hi Al, AKA doggfather

don't feel too disheartened by the rejection. ANGFA spent years trying to bring in New Guinea rainbowfishes legally and got turned down every step of the way. Eventually they did allow Glossolepis incisus in but that is the only one. The problem most of us have (besides the bull sh_t papertrail is we already have most of the New Guinea rainbows here and we only want new bloodlines. Stupid government won't even allow that.
Quick hint: check the date of the last post before replying ;)
 
i think they are not allowed to be imported because if the are let lose into the public water ways they chould have a big impact on the eco systerm

this is one of the down sides of liveing in a hot contry
 

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