First of all, I don't want readers to think that the mosquito fish they caught can not be put back in the ditch where it was found. I am talking about releasing fish not found naturally in a specific ecosystem. Releasing fish into the wild is very irresponsible (as well as illegal!) and should never happen.
The reasons that I have heard from these hobbyist are as follows:
1. The fish have gotten too big.
This is the most common reason I have heard that people release fish into the wild is that they eventually outgrow their aquarium. Many freshwater fish obtain large sizes that are not suitable for the typical home aquarium. I always recommend interested hobbyist to research any future fish purchase.
2. The fish does not get along with my other fish.
Another area where hobbyist do not take responsibility of keeping fish is researching fish compatibility. Many fish cannot be kept together in harmony and many hobbyist ignore the issues. Once again, adequate research before any purchase should be conducted.
3. I can no longer keep the aquarium.
This happens to many hobbyist who find themselves either burnt out in the hobby, bored or just don't have the time anymore. I always recommend hobbyist who have to get ride of their aquarium to either sell it fully stocked (which many potential buyers greatly enjoy) or they can part out their livestock to specific individuals.
Hobbyist have been releasing aquatic fish into their backyards since the aquarium industry started and the continual release of these fish are causing a large impact on our world. Currently Lionfish (Pterois volitans) from the aquarium trade are being released into the oceans off of the Florida coast and are decimating populations of native fish. Lionfish are native to the western Pacific but have been currently seen from New Jersey all along the coast to the Caribbean.
The continual release of aquarium trade fish will only increase the restrictions on what hobbyist are allowed to keep in the United States. This is currently seen with the bill H.R. 669 that greatly reduces the number of animals that are allow as pets and is being reviewed by our legislature.
I urge many hobbyist that it is our responsibility to preserve our environment and still enjoy the aquarium hobby by not releasing any fish bought that are not native to their state. If not, then I would not be surprised to find my future freshwater aquarium filled with mosquito fish and perch due to the future legislation.
1. The fish have gotten too big.
This is the most common reason I have heard that people release fish into the wild is that they eventually outgrow their aquarium. Many freshwater fish obtain large sizes that are not suitable for the typical home aquarium. I always recommend interested hobbyist to research any future fish purchase.
2. The fish does not get along with my other fish.
Another area where hobbyist do not take responsibility of keeping fish is researching fish compatibility. Many fish cannot be kept together in harmony and many hobbyist ignore the issues. Once again, adequate research before any purchase should be conducted.
3. I can no longer keep the aquarium.
This happens to many hobbyist who find themselves either burnt out in the hobby, bored or just don't have the time anymore. I always recommend hobbyist who have to get ride of their aquarium to either sell it fully stocked (which many potential buyers greatly enjoy) or they can part out their livestock to specific individuals.
The continual release of aquarium trade fish will only increase the restrictions on what hobbyist are allowed to keep in the United States. This is currently seen with the bill H.R. 669 that greatly reduces the number of animals that are allow as pets and is being reviewed by our legislature.
I urge many hobbyist that it is our responsibility to preserve our environment and still enjoy the aquarium hobby by not releasing any fish bought that are not native to their state. If not, then I would not be surprised to find my future freshwater aquarium filled with mosquito fish and perch due to the future legislation.
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