illegal fish importing

[coorslight]

whats the conisquences say adding fish to some wheres there not native too

[Craddosk]

whats the conisquences say adding fish to some wheres there not native too

Try changing an entire ecosystem? Adding a non-native species can lead to it become a top predator, and removing all food sources. There is a HUGE issue right now with Asian carp in the Great Lakes as if it gets into them, it stands to wipe out the entire commercial fishing operation there. In addition to changing the lakes ecosystem by removing species that were prey to birds and animals.

Also it can introduce new diseases that can have a huge impact on them. Look at what happened with Europeans coming to North America, they brought diseases with them. Same thing for fish.

If you want more situations on how this is a TERRIBLE thing to occur in Alberta (or anywhere else), give your local Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Biologist a call. He'll be able to drown you in information.

[Okotokian]

Or do you mean consequences for YOU if you are caught? Under new legislation I believe you could be tagged with the remediation bill.... ie killing all the fish in the lake you ruined. I think that tab can run to the hundreds of thousands....

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

I cant find the article but I posted it on here ages ago ,But If I remember correctly that the fine was $70,000 and or up to 2 years in Jail . I will continue to find that , I beleave it was in the Wildlife act or Fisheries act . I dont recall .

[gramps73]

I cant find the article but I posted it on here ages ago ,But If I remember correctly that the fine was $70,000 and or up to 2 years in Jail . I will continue to find that , I beleave it was in the Wildlife act or Fisheries act . I dont recall .

You are on the right track little man, I think the number that comes to mind is 100K or 10 years in jail, that's what the guy out east with the whole snakehead thing got.

[doetracks]

IMO the fine for introducing non-native species can't be heavy enough.

[coorslight]

like that person who put perch in the trout pond whats the deal with that would that be as bad cause there native to alberta kinda thing

[Craddosk]

like that person who put perch in the trout pond whats the deal with that would that be as bad cause there native to alberta kinda thing

It'd be just as bad. Fines would be similar and ecosystem damage would be tremendous. It could go two ways, either the perch don't survive and die off. Or they do really well, flourish, and kill off all the trout. This changes the lake (and surrouding areas) ecosystem.

No perch should not be introduced into a trout pond under the guise of "but they're native to AB", and yes, you would get nailed hard with fines, suspensions, and jail time for doing so.

[doetracks]

Never assume that something that appears harmless will blend in without repercussions to something else.

There's exceptions, I think, but few and far between.

[Coulee]

We live with a perfect example of non-native fish species thriving at the expense of natives. It's called the Bow River. Rainbows were stocked on purpose, and browns by accident when the fish truck on it's way to Banff Park broke down and to save the fish, the driver pumped them into the river. The one and only stocking of Loch Leven Brown Trout into the Bow. Now, there are basically no cutthroat or bulls downstream of Banff. Yes, they occur in the tributaries, but are rare in the main river. I'm not going to argue the merits of rainbow/brown vs cutthroat/bull. I have a personal opinion, but what's done is done. It just goes to show you how a huge ecosystem like the Bow can be changed overnight by one person and a broken truck.

[densa44]

Starlings, dandylions, brown trout, and of course Australia's rabbits have been introduced by well meaning idiots. Some times it works, pheasants but more often it cause terrible damage to the local environment.

Some of the worst are the plants and weeds that people don't know they are spreading.

Just leave it alone

[Okotokian]

just waiting for the guys who want bass stocking in Alberta to show up. ;) LOL

[Redfrog]

What about stocking Bass?? It works in other places:evilgrin:

[greylynx]

What about stocking Bass?? It works in other places:evilgrin:

Bass stocking never worked in Alberta. The little lake up by Smokey Lake on Highway 28 produced small smallmouth bass for about three years.

Various forms of Bass were stocked in Lake Wabamun, and Lac St. Anne in the early part of the last century with no success.

Fishing in Alberta already is at the lowest it has ever been.

Introduction of a foreign species might just shut things down even more.

But what do I know?

[calgarygringo]

Do a quick search on snakefish. I didnt read the whole articles but there was one this am in the Wpg Free Press and one of theSask papers talking about the fear of them getting in to the system.

[calgarygringo]

Found the stories to which I referred to above.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/03/30/sk-fish-ban-1103.html

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/greenpage/lake-bully-saskatchewan-says-northern-snakehead-will-push-out-other-fish-118865889.html

[32-40win]

Just look at how torqued up they are in BC, about bass possibly getting into the Fraser, from some illegally stocked ponds in the Lower Mainland. And with the bullfrogs. I seem to remember reading some articles about various fish stocking efforts before WW2 that just did not survive in Alberta. There were some odd species put into Minnewanka as I remember it. BC poisoned a stream in the Kootenays not too long ago, because of a pike introduction, strikes me as it was by Wardner.

[Fisherpeak]

Just look at how torqued up they are in BC, about bass possibly getting into the Fraser, from some illegally stocked ponds in the Lower Mainland. And with the bullfrogs. I seem to remember reading some articles about various fish stocking efforts before WW2 that just did not survive in Alberta. There were some odd species put into Minnewanka as I remember it. BC poisoned a stream in the Kootenays not too long ago, because of a pike introduction, strikes me as it was by Wardner.

It was HaHa lake and they did poison it and it has been closed for 3 years now.Used to be a nice trout lake.Who ever chucked those pike in it should be beaten to death with a fly rod and hanged.