unclenedsfishfactory.com

Please contact your Senators and US Representatives
and email them your concerns about allowing captive bred Asian Arowana
into the US.

(start by finding your Senators and Rep with your zip code)
https://www.senate.gov/
http://www.house.gov/

I sent the following message:

Scleropages formosus, the Asian Arowana, a freshwater fish
is legal to own with a permit in virtually every country of world
except the United states of America.
The propogation, sale and ownership of these captive bred fish is NOT dangerous to the species or the environment.
Please require US Fish and Wildlife service to permit the importation, sale, and ownership of this harmless species.
In fact, it can be an actual revenue enhancement.
Customers would willingly pay $50 - $100 for a permit, thousands could be sold nationally.

"Under the Endangered Species Act and international treaties,
permits are required to export endangered species from their country of origin,
as well as import them into the United States.
The permitting system is designed to protect species
by preventing the creation of black markets for them
in the United States and elsewhere."

from a press release written by

Debra Wong Yang

U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney
Central District of California

United States Courthouse
312 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90012

April 10, 2006
____________

The keywords above are " permits ... to ... import... "
The countries that export Asian Arowanas already provide export permits.
All that remains is to require the Fish & Wildlife to provide import permits.

Man Charged with ESA Violations, Transporting Endangered Arowanas

08 Dec, 2014

Scleropages formosus, the Asian Arowana, is listed under the ESA as endangered and is the species at the center of charges announced today in San Jose, CA. Image by Flickr user Aneo | CC BY 2.0
via PressReleasePoint for US Dept. of Justice

San Jose Man Charged with Violating the Endangered Species Act

December 8th, 2014 – SAN JOSE – Ryan Lopez Bernardez was arraigned today on charges that he violated the Endangered Species Act by transporting two endangered Asian Arowana fish, announced United States Attorney Melinda Haag and United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent in Charge Jill Birchell.

A grand jury returned an indictment against Bernardez on October 15, 2014, but it remained under seal until his arrest and subsequent arraignment today.

According to the indictment, Bernardez, 39, of San Jose, is alleged to have transported in the course of commercial activity, and sold, two fish. The fish are a species known as Asian Arowana, or Asian Bonytongue (Scleropoges[sic] formosos[sic]).

These fish are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and any sales or transportation of them are therefore illegal.

Bernardez was arrested in San Jose on Friday, December 05, 2014, and made his initial appearance in federal court in San Jose on Monday, December 8, 2014. Bernardez is currently out of custody. Bail was set at $100,000. His next scheduled appearance is at 1:30 on December 11, 2014, for a further detention hearing before the Honorable Howard R. Lloyd, United States Magistrate Judge.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years, and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Gary G. Fry is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Legal Technician Laurie Worthen. The prosecution is one of several that resulted from an investigation by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

[Reef2Rainforest.com editor’s note – the correct spelling of the scientific name for the Asian Arowana is Scleropages formosus]

____________
above was sent to me from Amazonas Magazine

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/ma ... l-of-shame

Maybe it's time we start a Wall of Shame
By Leonard Ho - Posted Dec 12, 2014 09:00 AM
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is actively cracking down on the illegal trade of protected species. The USFWS arrested a Bay Area man last week charged with selling Asian arowanas.

10 Comments

Asian arowanas command a high price. Photo by 'Hengky.S' (c.c.)

Ryan Lopez Bernardez (39 years old, San Jose, California), is indicated on the charge of transporting and selling two Asian arowanas. While CITES permits the international trade of captive-bred Asian arowanas, the United States still outlaws their trade under the Endangered Species Act. If convicted, Bernandez faces a possible maximum sentence of five years in prison and fines up to $250,000 USD. He is currently out on a $100,000 bail.

Sadly, this type of illegal activity is far too common. We recently reported about D.R. Imports charged with smuggling of protected Floridian live rock. Earlier this year, a man from San Diego, California, was sentenced to three years probation for trying to sell Asian arowana to an undercover agent by way of a Craigslist ad. In the Spring of 2014, the US Department of Justice sentenced both a public aquarium, Idaho Aquarium, and a marine aquarium livestock retailer/wholesaler, Tropicorium (Michigan), each for illegally importing protected Floridian wildlife.

All this occurred in the span of a single year. Every indictment and sentencing leaves an indelible stain on our hobby and trade.

Play Your Part!
If you are aware of any illegal activities involving the transport and sale of protected species within the United States, Advanced Aquarist strongly recommends you to contact the USFWS to report the violation. Reports may be registered anonymously, and the USFWS will only use the information you provide to pursue their new investigation. In some cases, rewards are offered. For readers outside the United States, contact your government's authority in charge of wildlife.

We can not afford to sweep this under the rug; we can't look the other way. Anyone who sells protected species is obviously committing a crime, as is anyone who knowingly purchases protected wildlife. We further contend anyone with knowledge about illegal trade within our hobby/industry who doesn't speak up is also complicit in these crimes. The "no snitch" personal code some people have chosen to adopt simply can not be our status quo. By keeping silent, we are ultimately harming ourselves. Let us all accept roles in protecting our hobby and protecting wildlife. With everyone doing their part (reporting, speaking up, even shaming), we can alter the risk-reward ratio for anyone thinking about perpetrating these illegal acts. These jackasses profiting at everyone else's expense must be brought to light and to justice.
___________

NOTE THE IMPORTANT LINE:
While CITES permits the international trade of captive-bred Asian arowanas,
the United States still outlaws their trade under the Endangered Species Act.