US Government to prohibit cyanide use and begin enforcement

[naesco]

Some to ago I posted that if industry does not itself deal with the cyanide,
the Government will.

Early this year I asked those who still support cyanide or close their eyes to its use to 'stay tuned'.

Here you go:

The United States Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) held its 15th meeting in Washington, DC on May 4th. The Task Force adopted a significant new resolution addressing the collection of marine ornamentals using cyanide and other poisons. This resolution sets forth actions designed to identify and develop a usable detection test for cyanide in fishes and also for the development of improved methods of enforcing laws against the use of poisons.
I suspect that legislation on the books (the Lacey Act) will be used to charge, convict and imprison those who deal with cyanide caught fish or ought to know that the fish was cyanide caught.

Better find a source for net caught fish if you plan to stay in business.

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.coralreef.gov/taskforce/pdf/15-1_Cyanide.pdf

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like a study to me, not a crackdown.

From
http://www.coralreef.gov/announcements/ ... _press.pdf :

The task force approved two resolutions during the business meeting. The first
resolution called on the task force to examine the use of cyanide and other poisons in the
collection of reef fish on the global market. Although illegal in most countries, the use of cyanide
to capture reef fish alive is widespread, and is driven by the lucrative, growing and largely
unregulated international trade in live reef food fish and marine aquarium industry. The U.S. is
the number one market for coral reef fish for the aquarium trade. Previous studies estimate that
most live reef fish entering into international trade and imported into the U.S. are collected with
the use of cyanide, and thus are illegal.

The study will research field-based cyanide detection tests for use by enforcement
authorities. Tests capable of producing reliable results several weeks after exposure to cyanide
could also aid the U.S. in restricting suspected illegal imports.

Do you have a link that is different?

 

[naesco]

Grateful Diver has posted the resolution. Thanks

There are two aspects to it.

1. Determine the best cyanide test available.
2. Enforce the laws making cyanide illegal by using the test.

You now have and deserve, by industry's inaction, the Government involved.

As stated in the resolution you will soon have Governement cyanide testing of imported fish.

Like I posted earlier you better find sources of net caught fish now because those who continue to deal cyanide caught fish will be headed to gaol.

I am approaching the Canadian Government in the next few days to see whether they will become involved. I will ask the Canadian Government to push for an immediate embargo on all fish imported to Canada and the US from the Philippines and Indonesia where the use of cyanide is rampant. This embargo would be in place until testing and enforcement is in place.
Net caught fishers, their exporters and importers had best devise a method to exclude them from the proposed embargo. I would suggest they arrange for random independant cyanide testing at the exporters locations and that certification will let the fish in. Of course, MAC certification will also let them in.

 

[JennM]

So Wayne, you gonna tar every collector in PI and Indo with the same brush?

There already exists, net catchers in those countries - if you somehow managed to get the Canadian government to prohibit all imported fish from PI and Indo, how will the net catchers stay in business until somebody gets their act together for a CDT?

There's a huge difference between the paper you posted, and actual enforcement. I'm not defending juicers or the people who buy from them, but I do live in the real world. You're peeing into the wind.

There are also plenty of laws on the books here concerning immigration, and how it's illegal to enter the country and work here without proper visas and permits... but tell that to the 100 men that stand on the street corner 2 miles away each morning and who will rush my pickup truck if I appear to be slowing down.... :roll:

Yep, laws are there - but lots of stuff is selectively enforced. I'm sure I'm more likely to see a Green Card roundup down the street before I'm likely to see a CDT Stateside.

Honestly I'm not holding my breath for either.

Jenn

 

[Anonymous]

Great post, Jenn. Nothing will happen to our hobby, as per usual...

Peace,

Chip

 

[JennM]

Well Chip, I don't think I'm feeling lacadaisical about it... I agree that steps can and should be taken. I'm taking them, and I have for years, so it's not appropriate for us to collectively throw up our hands and do nothing.

However, I don't think it's all doom and gloom like Wayne would like us to believe.

If each store owner did his/her part to weed out the lies in this industry, seek out and buy quality, ethically caught fish, then things would turn around on their own.

I think much of the problem lies in the lies... Nobody admits to the dirt in the trade, many are unaware. Many hobbyists and even retailes are blissfully ignorant of the problems, and therefore they don't even know there's anything wrong to be fixed.

Those of us who do have a clue - some turn a blind eye, some others of us work a bit harder to do it right within a system that has a lot wrong with it.

I have never claimed to have all the answers, like some folks but I'm doing what I can - have done since I opened my doors 4 years ago - and sometimes that meant trial and error to sort through the crap - but now and for a while I'm in a position where I can say I'm confident my supply is clean. If others followed suite, things would change by necessity.

Jenn

 

[Anonymous]

Hopefully, in time there will be a stateside CDT though. - Net training is obviously the preferred method for helping to curb things, yes, but well.. - You see how effective the drug education programs in the school systems are huh??.. :roll:

Duuuuh!

Put a special tax on fish at the retail level like most states do with their (abused) fuel tax.. - Use the monies collected from that to run the CDT which picks off random shipments from overseas and smack the heck outta operations that try to sneak stuff in around the death lottery.

Its not rocket science, and its not 100%.. - Start with light penalties for the first year and really ramp it up after that.


Hello! - I'm the voting, consumer, retail public and I don't mind talking outta my @$$!

 

[naesco]

Hopefully, in time there will be a stateside CDT though. - Net training is obviously the preferred method for helping to curb things, yes, but well.. - You see how effective the drug education programs in the school systems are huh??.. :roll:

Duuuuh!

Put a special tax on fish at the retail level like most states do with their (abused) fuel tax.. - Use the monies collected from that to run the CDT which picks off random shipments from overseas and smack the heck outta operations that try to sneak stuff in around the death lottery.

Its not rocket science, and its not 100%.. - Start with light penalties for the first year and really ramp it up after that.


Hello! - I'm the voting, consumer, retail public and I don't mind talking outta my @$$!

Great post Grateful.

Jenn, I covered what the net caught industry might want to do in my first post.

Marillion, unless industry takes cyanide seriously, the future of the whole hobby is at stake. There are many who think we have no business taking wild fish and coral out of the already damaged reefs and putting them in little glass boxes.
Cyanide, industry's dirty little secret, must be immediately addressed by industry or the party's over

Wayne

 

[JennM]

I don't disagree with your intentions, Wayne, but your "Do it or else" attitude wearies me. You aren't the international authority on the hobby or the trade, so what makes YOU the voice of doom? You've been spewing the same rhetoric over and over for the last several years, and despite teasing us with 'big announcements' that never come, and your incessant postings about a trade you have no knowledge about, erode your credibility each time you put your fingers on the keyboard here.

I'm in a far more likely position to 'do anything' about it than you are, and I'm clever enough to know that I'm just a little fish in a big pond. But I'm also clever enough to know that if enough of us little fishes do the right thing, change will come about without the need for NGOs, governments or folks like you, trying to intervene in a trade you don't even work in.

If you really want to "do something" how about getting your facts straight, and educating hobbyists and retailers?

Jenn

 

[Tropic]

8O :lol:


Where is a fly-swatter when you need one??????

 

[Anonymous]

Marillion, unless industry takes cyanide seriously, the future of the whole hobby is at stake. There are many who think we have no business taking wild fish and coral out of the already damaged reefs and putting them in little glass boxes.
Cyanide, industry's dirty little secret, must be immediately addressed by industry or the party's over

I'm getting a little tired of this same stuff from you, Wayne. You seem to use a lot of words and yet say nothing.

Cyanide was first addressed over 25 years ago, and the hobby is still here and growing every day.

Your 'doom and gloom' prophecies mean nothing. It's all just hot air.

Why not follow Jenn's lead and actually *do* something?

Peace,

Chip

 

[Anonymous]

Well Chip, I don't think I'm feeling lacadaisical about it... I agree that steps can and should be taken. I'm taking them, and I have for years, so it's not appropriate for us to collectively throw up our hands and do nothing.

I wasn't implying that at all. You do more than 95% of the people out there that are involved in our industry.

However, I don't think it's all doom and gloom like Wayne would like us to believe.

That's what I was implying. Nothing will happen at all...our hobby will continue on as it always has.

Peace,

Chip

 

[dizzy]

That's what I was implying. Nothing will happen at all...our hobby will continue on as it always has.

Peace,

Chip

Well that certainly differs from the Holthus lead-in to the News Letter: "Why is there a need for international standards and certification for the marine aquarium trade?

Consider what governments around the world are doing and saying about marine ornamentals' collection and commerce: {snip, snip, snip}"

It sounds like the EU is going to take the lead in restricting certain organisms. It is interesting to note that while the MAC denies having any involvement in the Senator Case legislation, Holthus is quick to use it as a reason we *should* get certified. :roll: I think if you read between the lines, there was a subliminal threat hidden in there somewhere. 8O

 

[naesco]

All of the matters raised, not only cyanide, should be of serious concern to everyone in the industry.

This is the new reality: The Government is now involved

I agree with you Dizzy, reading beween the lines it is fairly safe to say that MAC certified exporters/importers will be exempt.

Wayne

 

[dizzy]

Exempt from having anything to sell. :lol: Unless they have the right of first refusal. :wink:

 

[JennM]

This is the new reality: The Government is now involved

The government has been involved for a long time - USFWS, US Customs... with air freight Homeland Security is involved...

I guess those of us with nothing to hide regarding cyanide caught fishes, have nothing to worry about

Jenn

 

[Anonymous]

:lol: Wayne's quoting a MAC PR piece as what is going down. ROTFLMAO :lol:

 

[JennM]

He must have forgotten to put on the tinfoil hat before reading it

Jenn

 

[Anonymous]

Something tells me that he fell for the WMD thing as well.