Exotic Tropical Fish

Issues About Exotic Tropical Fish

Exotic tropical fish are those species that come from other countries and are imported from another region. The trade of these kinds of fish can either be legitimate or illegal. Over the years, the import of exotic tropical fish has been facing a lot of controversies because of the ill effects it causes on both the new marine life and the lives of the fish themselves. However, they also bring several advantages that have been discussed as beneficial both for the species and the new environment that they are exposed to.

Exotic tropical fish most likely come from places like South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America. Currently, there are over 35 species of these fish floating in the American waters, specifically Florida. Some fish are believed to have been introduced legally, others illegally. Below are the issues that these fish are facing.

Illegal Introductions

As stated by law, it is illegal to introduce any native fish into a new ecosystem because this may cause detrimental problems both to the new environment or the fish that are being imported. However, exotic tropical fish still come in abundance every year in many fish farming businesses because of the economical advantages. Some fish cultivating companies even freeze their aquariums if they find out that the fish they imported are not worthy of selling. Because if illegal release, this has been how fish cultivators escape their responsibility for the new fish that are imported. Not only does the import cause illegal problems, it is inhumane also since most of the fish imported will die shortly after they have been exposed to a detrimental environment. Those that do not die in the new environment cause some problems that change most of the fish communities. Therefore, it is only right to put a stop to this importing to avoid both illegal issues and inhumane activities.

Do They Cause Problems?

Once the exotic tropical fish is introduced to a new environment, it will either perish or live long enough to cause detrimental changes to a native fish community. The problems associated with exotic tropical fish import include alteration of the natural energy flow in aquatic ecosystems, competition with the native species to the area, unpredictability of the newly imported fishes, they may be carriers of diseases and other harmful parasites and lastly, they can pose a direct threat to people.

These are the very reasons why the import of exotic tropical fish is being strictly controlled by the government. If illegal transactions continue to occur, it can cause further detrimental effects not only to the fish being imported but to our aquatic environment as well.