Are Piranha's Legal In California

[PoPoV]

I looked through our state guide lines on this issue and could not find any information. So i was wondering if anybody here knew off the top of their head if they were leagal in California?

 

[Darkmoon Bettas]

I looked through our state guide lines on this issue and could not find any information. So i was wondering if anybody here knew off the top of their head if they were leagal in California?

No, they're not.

Basically, they're illegal in any state that has "warm" winters--those that don't get a hard freeze strong enough to drop waterways (rivers and lakes, etc) to near freezing on a reliable yearly basis. Pretty much any state that's considered "southern", "southwest" or even "middle America" has outlawed piranahs. Only some of the more northern ones allow them.

If they got into the waterways in warmer states, the chance that they could set up and successfullly breed would do a lot of harm to the native ecosystems. Between their carnivorious nature and their fairly prolific breeding habits, they would out-breed, out-compete for food, or just plain eat a lot of native species.

This isn't QUITE current, but is still to my knowledge accurate:

 

[PoPoV]

Awsome! Thanks very much. I was supprised to see that they didnt have any information regarding this topic. But as always the fish forum pulls through! Thanks for the knowlege guys!

 

[Ranger]

But as always the fish forum pulls through!

8) Word. 8)

Haha, this one time... I went into a LFS and they tried to sell me what they said were Piranhas. And not being an idiot I questioned him and he was like, "actually they are 1/16th Piranha". WHATEVER. LOL


EDIT: WWOOOOOOOOOOOT IM FISH CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PoPoV]

But as always the fish forum pulls through!

8) Word. 8)

Haha, this one time... I went into a LFS and they tried to sell me what they said were Piranhas. And not being an idiot I questioned him and he was like, "actually they are 1/16th Piranha". WHATEVER. LOL


EDIT: WWOOOOOOOOOOOT IM FISH CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Probably Red belly pacus! They are cool fish, but they get to big for my flavor!

 

[Ranger]

Probably Red belly pacus! They are cool fish, but they get to big for my flavor!

Yeah, that's it. Couldn't remember the name off hand . I knew it was Red Belly something tho, lol. Where in cali R u from?

EDIT: Just saw ur from Sacramento. I hail from Carlsbad

 

[PoPoV]

Probably Red belly pacus! They are cool fish, but they get to big for my flavor!

Yeah, that's it. Couldn't remember the name off hand . I knew it was Red Belly something tho, lol. Where in cali R u from?

EDIT: Just saw ur from Sacramento. I hail from Carlsbad

Ya i was living in vacaville. I just moved here to sacramento! Not to shure how i feel about it this far Where you from?

 

[Darkmoon Bettas]

A little off-topic but it seems we can't get crayfish either. Sucks. I was kind of eyeing the blue lobsters

Huh, really? Any, or just certain species? Most stores I know around here offer several species. Even the store I work at has the common reds, and the blues, and the owner is usually REALLY good about staying on the legal/ethical side of things. (We don't sell dyed fish, illegal reptiles, and we're one of the few local places that actually enforces the "no turtles under 4 inches without documentation" law.) I thought crays were OK, and naturalised, if not native. *scampers off to research that*

 

[Darkmoon Bettas]

California

As per section 671 of the Ca. Code of Regulations/Title 14, prohibited crustaceans include: All species of the family Cambaridae (Crayfish) (except Procambarus clarkii and Orconectes virilis which are OK)

I'll be darned. I guess the clarkii is what I had in mind as the "common" cray.

The good news for you, is that a blue morph of the clarkii exists, is pretty easy to breed, and seems to breed true, so you could still get a blue cray, just not nessecarily the species you had in mind.