Publisher :
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2009
Thematic : Policies
Language : English
Note
1. The provision of Canadian and US hard, enforceable, law to authorize rapid response management of
nonindigenous aquatic species originating from aquaculture, live fish sales, bait fish, and the pet trade was
analysed at the provincial/state levels of government for the Atlantic, Laurentian Great Lakes, and Pacific
regions of North America.
2. No federal legal capacity for rapid response management exists in either country. US state legislation is
generally better developed than Canadian provincial laws to manage the exotic fish trade. However, much
discrepancy exists among provincial and state law regarding provisions to restrict or prohibit potentially harmful
species. Aquaculture and baitfish use is generally better regulated than live fish markets and the pet fish trade in
both countries. Only the state of Maine has laws authorizing rapid-response management to control escaped
exotic fish.
3. Most species of nonindigenous fish arise from the aquarium, pet, and baitfish trades, and development of
improved legislation containing provisions for rapid response management of escapees is warranted in all states
and provinces.
4. It is recommended that Canada amends the Fisheries Act to create the appropriate enabling legislation to
monitor, assess risk, and deploy rapid response management of nonindigenous aquatic species, including fish that
enter federal fresh and sea waters. Two recently-introduced US Bills, S. 725 and H.R. 1350, with their explicit
measures for early detection and fast action response, could, if passed into law, create provisions to control
introduced nuisance species throughout North American waters. They would also create precedents for states and
provinces that have most jurisdiction over aquaculture and trade in exotic fish to amend and align their laws in a
complementary manner.
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Keywords : Maxomys hellwaldii
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
