[widepud]

i know they are illegal,anyone know why?

[Ming]

they're endangered in the wild and the american government is stupid thinking importing captive born ones will deplete the wild population.

[widepud]

thats pretty dumb considering theyre pretty readily available,...except the price tag,they should promote the sale,and breeding of them.but i guess i also understand why theyre illegal.

[Rich]

Email response received by ajb1971 on Pfish:

Dear ajb1971:
Thank you for your email concerning the importation and potential
downlisting of Asian bonytongue, Scleropages formosus under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA). I have reviewed your email carefully, and would like to
share the perspective of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on this
issue of international importance.

The species was listed as endangered in 1976 under the U.S. Endangered
Species Act. Endangered foreign species, such as S. formosus, cannot be
imported to the United States for primarily commercial purposes even if
they are captive-bred. Importation for personal or hobby use would be
considered commercial activity. Furthermore, any importation of an
endangered species, captive-bred or not, must enhance the status of the
species in the wild in some direct way. In the past, the USFWS has
approved the import of small numbers of bonytongue for research and
captive-breeding purposes. The applicants in these cases are involved in
research or re-introduction programs that should help bolster wild
populations of the fish. Importation of farm-raised and selectively bred
bonytongue does not, in our view, enhance the wild populations directly.
While captive-bred populations of S. formosus may be abundant in Southeast
Asia, their use does not necessarily encourage the conservation of wild
populations and may result in unsustainable harvest for breeding stock.
These fears have been echoed by Indonesian scientists who I've consulted
while visiting the country and examining arowana farms.

It's important to note that these provisions of the ESA apply regardless of
the status of the species in the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), but that body has
recently concurred with an Indonesian report that the species remains
endangered throughout its range. There are no current or planned research
initiatives known from any range country (Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia,
Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia) to study the conservation status of wild S.
formosus. Thus, there is no known scientific basis for downlisting from
threatened to endangered under the ESA in any part of the species' range.
Until data are presented to the USFWS or gathered, it appears that
downlisting is not warranted.

If we can obtain information that indicates that wild Asian arowanas are no
longer in danger of extinction, the USFWS will prioritize the species for
downlisting to threatened status. I am developing research initiatives to
gather this information. If the species is in fact downlisted to
threatened status, U.S. hobbyists could import captive-bred specimens with
the appropriate ESA and CITES permits. If you would like to learn more
about the Endangered Species Act, please visit our website at
http://endangered.fws.gov/. If you would like to learn more about the
USFWS, foreign species, and CITES, visit our website at
http://international.fws.gov/ or telephone me at 703-358-1708.

Thank you for your interest in and committment to the conservation of Asian
bonytongue. I look forward to working with dedicated members of the public
such as yourself as we continue our investigations of this species'
recovery in the wild.

John Field, Fisheries Specialist
Division of Scientific Authority
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 750
Arlington, VA 22203
USA

(+01) (703) 358-2496
(+01) (703) 358-2276 fax

[DiXoN]

it sucks for you americans that you cant get (legaly) asian aros hopefully your government will see sense.
dixon

[cich]

To my way of thinking, if something is endangered, I would want to encourage captive breeding/sale... To ensure the survival of the species! Oh well.

--cich

[crazycraig]

To my way of thinking, if something is endangered, I would want to encourage captive breeding/sale... To ensure the survival of the species! Oh well.

--cich

If you encourage sale you will have people trying to capture wild specimen that they can sell for more. This could eventually lead to no wild specimen and that would be bad. It is better to just ban them altogether, eventhough it does suck for hobbyist it is probably in the best interest of the fish.

[Ming]

why would anyone try to capture wild specimen if there are more than enough captive bred populations?

[cich]

why would anyone try to capture wild specimen if there are more than enough captive bred populations?

You're giving the human race too much credit
I agree with your logic though... totally.

--cich

[jaygo777]

some things are to be protected, the dragon is one of em!!!!