Has anyone seen this article on Stuff?????

[je_suis_ketan]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4133397a11.html?source=email

I didn't realise that it was such a big deal.

[cichlid7]

the guy had chlorine poured in 12 tanks and any daino he had got killed

[je_suis_ketan]

It's sad enough when a fish dies or is put down because it is unhealthy, but having your fish put down just like that is really sad.

[cichlid7]

he got raided at 7 this morning they got him out of bed lol

[je_suis_ketan]

It's crazy how he got Raided, it just sounds a bit excessive to me.

[cichlid7]

yea it sucks aye

[Janelle]

I saw those fish being sold on Trademe.

I feel sorry for the fish, personally.

[jn]

Did they seriously use chlorine to euthanise them? Is that humane???

[jn]

Info from MAF:

http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/media/19-07-07/gm-fish

[Ira]

" pose an extremely low risk in biosecurity terms...we'd like to encourage tropical fish enthusiasts who have bright red/pink coloured danios in their possession... to contact MAFBNZ ...Arrangements will be made for the fish to be collected and put down."

Basically, "They're harmless, but give us a call so we can come kill your pets."

How about I give you a call so you can come kis...Sorry, not appropriate for this forum.

[Loopy]

I am pretty dissapointed that everyone seems to be so negative about this. I think MAF has done an ok thing here. They have found out exactly what the fish are and confirmed whether they are accepted in the country or not. Which has answered the top two questions regarding these fish.

I thought New Zealand is a GE FREE country?!! The pink fish may not pose a threat to our environment but could they pose a threat to our reputation as a country??

Yes i feel it is a shame that those raids happened but perhapes those who were raided put themselves into that position. If they didn't know what the fish specifically were, they could have asked. Just as I did with the long funky what the eels?

Those red fish as MAF has said are not supposed to be in this country. What do you suggest they do instead of putting them all down?

I personally enjoy knowing as much as i can about my fish right down to genetic traits like in angels and bettas. So i find it a bit odd that there are people out there who will but a fish and think " I have read that it *could* be caused by a coral gene or a jellyfish gene or it could be dyed and i morally disagree with the whole idea but i will buy some anyway!"

In the Stuff article it says that he thought they were Dyed and not GM.

I think it is worse that "they" (whoever they are) said they thought the fish were dyed is just as bad if not worse. And besides i would have thought that if the fish were dyed it would only be that fish that would be pink not the next generation and the next.... Dying would only affect the body of the fish not the genetic make up and offspring. As soon as those fish were bred and the fry observed to be the same as the parents, it would have caused alarmbells to ring if it were me.

Everyone whinges that MAF (and all govt dept's) don't do their job properly and now when they are obviously doing their job we have more whinging!!!

I presonally believe that anyone who purchased or bred these fish should have been more responsible and not just assumed that it was ok to have them.

[Rozski]

Hey loopy,

Just wanted to say, NZ is not GE Free. People are campaigning us to be GE free, but as we already have crops of GE corn and things, doesn't seem to be that way.

But thats a whole new debate...

[bdspider]

I presonally believe that anyone who purchased or bred these fish should have been more responsible and not just assumed that it was ok to have them.

I kinda disagree, its like with the glass kuhlis... If you can get them from a shop, you'd assume they were fine. I think it's the importer who brought them in that should take more responsibility. Even if they DID think they were dyed, that's such a horribly cruel practise you'd hope the NZ tropical fish industry wouldn't support!

[michael.qian]

I am not against GE but I like things natural, injecting the danios with dye or genetically modifying them to make them look bright coloured and attractive is definitely not natural and can be detrimental to the health and lifespan of the fish.

Plus I do not think they look better in glowing red, green or any other colours, the first thing I think about is "have they been modified?" Things look best in their natural form.

So if it were up to me (which it's not ), I would ban all genetically modified fish, but the current fish stock that are been destroyed, I would have them rounded up and cared somewhere but general public and fish keepers won't be able to access them.

[wilson]

i just hope that maf dosnt try to cut down the numbers of fish that we can get in

[Loopy]

Even if they DID think they were dyed, that's such a horribly cruel practise you'd hope the NZ tropical fish industry wouldn't support!

I agree bdspider.

I wish i had said that myself

[jn]

Everytime someone goes against the rules (any rules for any situation) it undermines all those who have followed the proper channels and makes things harder for everyone else. Sure poeple might think, I'll have those cause they look nice... but think about everything else you miss out on when the get even stricter cause poelpe can't be trusted anymore!!

[Stirling]

New Zealand is GE free except for research studies. There's a small plot of onions, 20 or so pine trees and some brassicas that will be tested in the field later this year - but all of these plants will be destroyed before they can produce seeds or pollen and will never be in the supermarkets. Then there's plenty of lab studies that are very secure and the cows up North.

GE items like the corn have made it into the country but have been eradicated - just like the fish.

I think the GM fish are a bit like possums - should never have been brought here and now get villified and killed. Isn't clove oil a "nice" way to euthanise fish?

I did ask one of the petshops how they got a permit to introduce GM fish and they said that they had all the right permits etc....

[HummingBird]

I wouldn't say GE fish are really like possums, since the Glowfish can't even survive in NZ. Gambusia are more like possums, or WCMM potentially.

[Stirling]

But they are still getting killed....

[firenzenz]

I saw these fish at Hollywood a while back and was told they weren't dyed or modified in anyway, but it seemed very likely to me that they were.

Consistency from the authorities would be good. Mountain minnows- are they on 'the list'? Biosecurity? Raiding somebody over some pink fish seems excessive. I assume some more are still out there and if they are in your tank would you accept that action.

Babyfood, pink danios- Personally I would rather see my government sort out the dollar and secure my mortgage rate, understand the ramifications of the Kyoto protocol. raid P labs etc etc. IMO.

[cichlid7]

if Biosecurity were to come to peoples homes Is there any way we could stop them commimg in.

Do they need a warrent to search peoples houses (like the police do) or can they just come in an search.

[ljtan55]

Just curious but do maf just euthanise the red danios or everything in the tank itself? Bit painful to sacrifice your whole tank just cos of one bad buy.

[alanmin4304]

In my opinion it demonstrates how slack Maf are when inspecting imported fish. They charge enough to do the inspections and should send someone that knows what they are doing. They wouldn't send a plant expert to inspect a sheep (or maybe they would)

[David R]

Thats the question I'm asking too, were they 'modified' here or did they get thru customs somehow?

If it was me that had had 12 tanks chlorined and lots of other fish killed I'd be up in arms at the importer for importing them, and at MAF for letting them!!