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Re: Exotics



Thanks for the information Herb! I am a little new at this, and among
other things I had intended to e-mail only Robert, not everyone on the
list! But your response is most welcome!

The reason that I asked is that I had spoken to an individual at the
Minnesota DNR who told me that a DNR permit is required to import any
live fish into the state except for aquarium fish that cannot survive in
the waters of the state. Obviously the intention is to prevent the
introduction of exotic species through "bait bucket" introductions, but
I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be violating any law if I were to
bring back native species collected out of state.

As I said in my first (inadvertent) post, it is a little unclear to me
how one can be certain whether a given fish could survive outside it's
normal range. Even though I would never release a native aquarium fish,
I think that it is important for people such as us who are interested in
keeping native fish to set a good example by learning and obeying state
fishing regulations. If they mean only that the listed species (ruffe,
sea lamprey, etc) are prohibited,  that makes it simple. But if they
mean it more broadly, that no species capable of surviving in the state
can be brought across the state border, then it gets more complicated.
It is probably safe to say that an Everglades Pygmy Sunfish couldn't
live this far north, but what about, say, an Orangebelly Darter? I don't
know how you could know with certainty.

Am I reading too much into this? I would love to hear from anyone who
has encountered this issue before.


Sam


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