[greenbean36191]

Not one of those examples were traced to the fault of a hobbyist like you and me!

Oscars in the Everglades.

Snakeheads were imported by well-meaning, but woefully uninformed aquaculturalists.

Here in the UK, we have the same problem with... red tailed catfish

we even have people that catch pirrahna in one of the lakes here in muskegon. They do know that they came from an exotics fish store that was shut down. He was fined some big bucks too.

He just told me that the crabs (freshwater) were imported a few years back to add interest to coldwater tanks, but can get agressive towards fancies. So they were released....now apparently they are living all across the country in canals, and waterways, and have hit the native crayfish numbers badly.

"Hydrilla was first introduced into North America in the mid to late fifties by the aquarium trade. California officials have also traced hydrilla infestations to shipments of mail order waterlilies....Since 1984, hydrilla has been the most abundant aquatic plant found in Florida public waters." http://www.wapms.org/plants/hydrilla.html

All of these are problems that have been traced back to the aquarium hobby. All of the species mentioned are freshwater invasives. They were not introduced to closed bodies of water by shipping. Why would the saltwater side of the hobby be any different? Why are most of the 16 invasive marine fish species identified in FL popular in the hobby? Does ballast water only pick pretty fish?

Do the 6 lionfish, known to have come from a private aquarium not count? What about the single strain of C. taxifolia that can be found in the US, Australia, and the Mediterranean? Not all of the place it is found are near public aquaria. That is just how they traced it back to the aquarium hobby.

"There has been no report of finding Caulerpa spp. in ballast waters, although microscopic dispersal propagules have not been monitored specifically. Species of Caulerpa reproduce microscopic swimming gametes. The gametes and their sexual union product (zygote) are negatively buoyant, as are vegetative fragments. Sexual reproduction in nature is relatively rare. These characteristics make ballast water a less likely pathway. The invasive Mediterranean strain of C. taxifolia has not been able to successfully complete sexual reproduction in the wild or in aquaria, evidence against dispersal of this species through ballast waters." https://web01.aphis.usda.gov/regpubl...M2?OpenElement

I don't think anyone is trying to deny that shipping introduces new invasive species, but to think that it is the only culprit is foolish.