Amphibians added to Lacey Act

[Syn]

from http://www.iherp.com/Public/Blog/Detail.aspx?UID=67654

PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES TO RESPOND. LAST CALL IS THURSDAY, 12/16!

As everyone knows, our industry is constantly under attack. This time, it's amphibians with Chytrid fungus (Bd). Which effectively is a shotgun effect to all amphibians, as proof of them being Bd free would be a legal nightmare.

Now, please review some links here. Bd is the IBD or Paramyxo of the amphibian world it would seem in its ability to ravage collections.

Information about Chytrid fungus (Bd)
AmphibianArk.org

Help on the Call To Action courtesy of
Frog Forum

USARKs posting

The actual proposed rules are located here, for those of you who like to research the actual documents being set forth
Injurious Wildlife Species: Petition To List All Live Amphibians in Trade as Injurious Unless Free of Bd

And finally, you can Submit Your Comment Here


Also, if you are on the docket page, you can checkbox the [X] Public Submissions (which is not defaulted) and read what other people have written. This may be a good guide to seeing what the pro- and con- are saying, and edit your comments accordingly.

BE POLITE.

BE RESPECTFUL.

And for heavens sake, SPELL CHECK.

 

[james L]

Hmmmm....
This is a hard one.
Do I agree with it??? Not sure yet. I do know amphibians are on the decline everywhere but its true BD is almost everywhere. Will stopping the trade really help? Probably not. We do need to start tighting up on the importation of them though. Maybe treat them before they are imported into the US or other places?
I will more then likely send a letter, but its hard not to see the facts.

 

[Chris Anderson]

Well, the fact of the matter is Chytrid fungus is already well established here in the US and it is actually difficult to find many places any more that don't have some level of Chytrid presence. Additionally, direct amphibian to amphibian contact is not required to infect otherwise unaffected populations. Chytrid is well known to be transferred by our own shoes, cloths, research equipment, fishing gear, etc. Thus, making the interstate transport of all live amphibians a felony will do nothing to stop the spread of Chytrid here in the US. Chytrid is here, its hard to find places that don't already have it, and we spread it on our person. This is simply an attempt to pass a completely over reaching and sweeping piece of legislation under the guise of doing the right thing to protect the same animals it bans the transport of while actually not doing a damn thing to stop the actual problem. This is the wrong way to tighten up a trade which may otherwise benefit from additional monitoring and it should not be passed.

Chris

 

[Carlton]

Chytrid is well known to be transferred by our own shoes, cloths, research equipment, fishing gear, etc. Thus, making the interstate transport of all live amphibians a felony will do nothing to stop the spread of Chytrid here in the US. Chytrid is here, its hard to find places that don't already have it

Case in point...in my area (very remote in SE Alaska) we have found wild boreal toads testing positive for chytrid...and know full well no captive frogs have ever been released here. Pretty dumb idea. Make sure existing wild habitats and amphibians are in healthy condition and they may well develop their own resistance to it given enough time. It's happening in a few places now.

 

[Syn]

Just to add, I read testing for chytrid would run ~$40 per animal... and those tests would have to run yearly-ish..

Shotgun approach.

 

[fluxlizard]

Gosh it's nice to know we live in a free country where we pay a bunch of people to sit around all day dreaming up new rules for us constantly.

Wish we could find a bunch of people to pay to sit around all day thinking up new ways to ensure our rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness...

Someone on another board summed up my feelings pretty well when he said he looked at each law as a job application- do I want to hire someone in my state to restrict my ability to sell the frogs that I breed? Do I want to hire someone in my state to force me to test my frogs which are thriving and breeding for a disease that is already known to exist in my state? Do I want to hire someone to prevent me from buying frogs in the future that I may wish to breed?