an unexpected import risk

[Stella]

Ok, is probably pushing it a bit as an import risk, as small fish are usually imported, but adds to the multitude of things that MAF has to cover when dealing with The List and import requests.

You don't normally think of fish as frugivores and seed dispersers! Very interesting and relevant research.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/fish-amazon-seeds/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wiredscience+%28Blog+-+Wired+Science%29

In the Amazon, Johnny Appleseed may be a fish.

When rivers in the Amazon Basin flood into surrounding forests and savannas, a fruit-eating fish called a tambaqui proves itself a champion at excreting seeds in distant new homes, says Jill T. Anderson of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. In extreme cases, seeds hitchhiking with the fish can land almost 5.5 kilometers [3 miles] from the mother tree.

[David R]

Interesting point, but as you said I think its pushing things a bit.

Firstly we get very few fish (or none?) wild caught straight from the river/habitat. The ones that are wild caught and not captive bred would have been in captivity long enough to pass any seeds they had in them. As nice as it would be, with our restrictive and outdated list its hardly feasible to go on a collecting trip to the amazon/africa hoping to catch a species that happens to be allowed.

And second, as you said, very few of our imports would be big enough to carry seeds...

[Artem]

Ive read that most of the fish sold are wild caught... would anyone care to clarify if this is true?

[ryanjury]

Ive read that most of the fish sold are wild caught... would anyone care to clarify if this is true?

Probably very untrue in NZ we generally get the cheapest mass produced fish out of asia..

[Stella]

in NZ we generally get the cheapest mass produced fish out of asia..

They have these big factories with conveyor belts where they stick the fins on body blanks, then they are off to get painted

[ryanjury]

lol I am sure if they could figure out how to do that they would

[Ira]

They have these big factories with conveyor belts where they stick the fins on body blanks, then they are off to get painted

That's why all the african cichlids are identical, just with different paintjobs.

[ryanjury]

That's why all the african cichlids are identical, just with different paintjobs.

lol There is always one

[henward]

that looks like a pacu

pacus are bred in captivity easily enough for food

i am unsure if someone will go through the trouble of finding hundreds of baby pacus

none the less.