never release nonnative species!

[noelberg]

For me it's a fairly short drive to the Potomac, and this could be a troubling find: snakeheads found in Potomac River

I'm angry that someone would be irresponsible to toss any nonnative fish into a local water source. This is why resources like this forum and careful planning are so necessary for fishkeeping.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Better yet, don't dump any fish into local waters, seeing as how they probably won't survive.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Better yet, don't dump any fish into local waters, seeing as how they probably won't survive

No, it is better that they don't survive. Many species have gone extinct thanks to human introduction of foreign species. Lake Victoria in Africa is down to a scant few from hundreds of species thanks to the introduction of nile perch, and this is just one of many examples.

 

[Nina7777]

wow thats crazy and maddening. Couldn't they just find new homes if they didn't want them anymore? I would never release a fish into the wild, whether it would or wouldn't survive!

 

[wrs]

wow thats crazy and maddening. Couldn't they just find new homes if they didn't want them anymore? I would never release a fish into the wild, whether it would or wouldn't survive!

even if that fish was taken from the wild? you wouldnt return it to its rightful home?
for ex, a person goes to a lake in vensuala w/plattys in it. they catch them and take them home. they used to have a 4000 gallon pond to swim in but now only have say 3 gallons. what would you do about that. oh and they were at a petstore and you knew they were wild, and u lived in that area.

areas probly no correct for plattys, but just using it as an ex.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

That's a highly unusual case, especially since the pond would have to be located in a tropical climate. If the fish almost never experienced human contact after the initial catch, then it'd be a different story.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

wow thats crazy and maddening. Couldn't they just find new homes if they didn't want them anymore? I would never release a fish into the wild, whether it would or wouldn't survive!

even if that fish was taken from the wild? you wouldnt return it to its rightful home?
for ex, a person goes to a lake in vensuala w/plattys in it. they catch them and take them home. they used to have a 4000 gallon pond to swim in but now only have say 3 gallons. what would you do about that. oh and they were at a petstore and you knew they were wild, and u lived in that area.

areas probly no correct for plattys, but just using it as an ex.

now you are just being pedantic.

never release a fish into an area its not native to.

and by the way, it'd cost far too much to release them back into the lake in venezuela, that is thousands of miles away!!

 

[wrs]

i said if u were living in veresula. and its not pedantic, dont even know what that means though, just hypathetical.

 

[Robert]

What if you release all of the little snails in your tank into a pond in your backyard?

 

[diVer]

Is the pond connected to a stream which leads to other bodies of water?

 

[noelberg]

I figure some person thought "Oh I will be nice and humane and let this fish live even though I don't want it anymore." So they let it kill bunches of other fish and possibly screw up an ecosystem. Sometimes euthanasia is kinder ... I hate to say it but I feel strongly that if you cannot find a home for this fish after lots of honest attempts, then just kill it in a quick and relatively painless manner.

Anybody in Hawaii (fire ants and i think rats?), Australia (those lovely frogs), and the great lakes (zebra mussels) feel free to comment on the "pleasures" of invasive non-native species.

 

[Jaded_Pulse]

I assume by "those lovely frogs" you're talking about toads, noelberg?? If so - they're a disgusting pest, & they're taking over so much native habitat, killing all our native frogs, & are damn noisy. Also, many types are poisonous. I know of people who live on large properties who go out every night for an hour or 2 & catch literally hundreds of toads, which they bag & humanely put to sleep in their freezer. And there are still hundreds the next night. And the next. And the next.....it's ridiculous. Fire ants have also made their way to Australia now, as have rats (where haven't they invaded is more the question??). Foxes, also, are becoming more common & killing much native wildlife. Countries should keep their own wildlife & not mess up that of other places.

 

[luxum]

even if that fish was taken from the wild? you wouldnt return it to its rightful home?

The most important reason not to do this is that the fish could have come in contact with one of the many diseases common to aquariums. If you release it, even if it is a native species, it could spread disease among the native population. And regarding exotic invasives, they are a real problem here in Florida, both plants and animals.

 

[tsr770]

Anybody in Hawaii (fire ants and i think rats?), Australia (those lovely frogs), and the great lakes (zebra mussels) feel free to comment on the "pleasures" of invasive non-native species.

Here is a link to the problems we are dealing with in the Great Lakes... And these are just the large problems... not even gunna mention the piranha and red tail catfish that have been caught by fisherman here in recent years.... Or the 4 foot alligator that was spoted at least a dozen times in a nearby river last summer, or the recent sightings of a large black cat, and the plaster casts of its 4 inch paw prints to go with the sightings......

Things like that tick me off... people are just too lazy to find someone who will take their pet, so they drive out to the country and toss it out the window....

Anyway here is the link to invasive species in the Great Lakes...LINK