[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Mark Faherty on 12:58:15 09/19/05
In Reply to: Apple Snails - selling on ebay - is this illegal?? posted by Matt
The USDA is in the process of trying to ban trade in all members of the apple snail family, but not for the reasons you might think. The species mentioned is one of the South American apple snails commonly sold in the aquarium trade. One of these, Pomacea canaliculata (channeled apple snail), is the latest invasive species problem du jour for south Florida. If you see ungodly pink-colored egg clusters on aquatic vegetation, they belong to these guys. There's a possibility Snail Kites may not be able to prey on the invasive snails as easily as the native ones (Pomacea paludosa), which they are outcompeting.
But if these guys get banned at the federal level, it's likely because they are a potential agricultural pest, mainly for rice growers. They are already a problem in Asia for this reason, and are banned in Texas, California and a few other states. Florida should ban them now for ecological reasons if they haven't already.
Now if you'll excuse me, my legally purchased pet Burmese Python and aquarium fish have gotten too big, so I'm off to release them into the Everglades...
Mark Faherty
Homestead
: Not sure who else to tell about this, so I figured id start here.
:
: This person is selling apple snails on ebay. Please check the link below. If anyone knows if this is legal or not, please let me know or tell the proper authorities.
:
: http://cgi.ebay.com/5-Live-Pomacea-Haustrum-Apple-Snails-Aquarium-Snail_W0QQitemZ7713411540QQcategoryZ66788QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
:
: sorry for the non-bird post.
:
: -Matt Baker
: windsor, ontario, canada
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]