USFWS ban on amphibians date soon!

[John]

This is a reminder that there are only 11 days left to leave a comment on the Federal Register about the proposed ban on the trade/shipping/moving of amphibians over borders between US states by anyone except licensed institutions, etc (that means everyone in the amphibian hobby will no longer be able to ship, bring, or otherwise move their frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, etc, over state borders).

If you don't do this, it could mean an end to the amphibian keeping hobby.

Here is my advice for leaving a comment. I encourage you to do your own internet research if you are not familiar with the topic Chytrid fungus (also called B.d.). But here is my advice to you when writing your comment.

Firstly, be polite and civil. Coming across as an angry and unreasonable individual will not help your comment to be taken seriously. When making a comment, back it up with some facts. A comment such as "The ban shouldn't happen because it is a bad idea" does not tell anyone why it is bad and this comment won't be taken seriously by USFWS. So here is what I would do:

• Make it clear that you live in the USA, unlike many of the current commentators (who have no right to decide US policy).
• You should outline an opinion regarding the proposed legislation with questions like these in mind:
• Will it be of any benefit to native amphibians? The "pro-ban" people say yes, but the simple fact of the matter is that chytrid is everywhere in the US right now. A ban like this, at this stage, will give virtually no benefit, if any, to our native amphibians who have already suffered the lion's share of the losses they are likely to suffer, and will cost us a lot of our tax dollars.
• Does the pet trade really contribute to the spread of chytrid, at this point in time? Most amphibian experts will tell you that the majority of the disease's spread is due to the bait fishing industry and the amphibians as food industry. Bait fishermen use tiger salamander tadpoles to fish for bass. These tadpoles are often infected with chytrid from other parts of the country and when they are used as bait they introduce chytrid to that water source. The fisherman also have a bad habit of letting their bait go at the end of the day. The frog legs/amphibian as food industry is largely responsible for the spread of the American Bullfrog, which is very tolerant of chytrid, making it a great carrier of the disease. Waste water from these frog rearing facilities can carry chytrid. So when it comes down to it, the pet trade and pet owners don't even figure in the equation when it comes to chytrid spread.
• The vast majority of chytrid in the amphibian pet trade comes from the whole salers importing frogs from foreign countries. Instead of making a ban on interstate amphibian trade, shouldn't the USFWS be inspecting and testing amphibian imports when they first reach the US? Why do hobbyists have to be punished instead of big businesses?
• When it comes down to it, bearing in mind what I've pointed out earlier, the only real effect that this ban will have is to reduce your freedom as American citizens. This is quite literally another threat to your 4th Amendment rights as citizens of the United States of America.
• The ban will likely only effect you as a hobbyist, and the people you know in the hobby, because we are the ones who will have to pay big money to bring or send our frogs over state lines. Companies will just factor it into their prices on frogs and salamanders, etc, passing the cost on to you, and preventing you from ever being able to sell captive bred offspring beyond your local state. Also bear in mind that the ban will cover taking your frogs with you if you move to an out of state home, or you go off to college and want to take your pet with you!

Even if you are not a citizen, if you are paying taxes in the US I think you should voice your opinion. It's a sad fact that most of the comments on the register right now are from foreigners who don't even live in the United States. Let's point that out as much as we can while making reasonable, fact-based arguments against this ban on trade between states of amphibians by ordinary people.

Please do comment. Your hobby may disappear if you don't.

Deadline
The USFWS will consider information received or postmarked on or before December 16, 2010.

Submit
You may submit comments by one of the following methods.

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. FWS-R9-FHC-2009-0093.

U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-R9-FHC-2009-0093, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203.

Additional Information Contact
Susan Jewell, Branch of Aquatic Invasive Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 770, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203; telephone 703-358-2416. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339.

Your comments must be received by December 16th!

[onedge30]

Thanks John for keeping us posted on current issues affecting our lives.

I posted a comment:

To USFWS,

Please sincerely take the time to consider who this 'ban' would hurt the most. As proposed, that would be the retail and hobbyist who keep amphibians. I am a US citizen and want the right to keep and purchase amphibians in the US. 1) Chytrid fungus is already out in the wild. To prevent the greatest exposure to further spread stop it before it gets to the US. Inspect all incoming shipments of amphibians from outside the country. Don't ban interstate trade. 2) Target the greatest exposure threat first. The commercial bait fish industry and the amphibian food industry. Not the smaller retailer and hobbyist.

Sincerely,

Jeff Kapp
Orlando, FL
USA

[John]

Thanks Jeff.

[michael novy]

Regulations.gov

Here is the place to place your opinion.. Every vote counts.. Do
it.. Do it know Come on.. Kill this.............

[tgampper]

I have notified everyone in the Nebraska Herpetological Society and many have responded! Please kill this...

I received an email from Save the Frogs yesterday asking everyone to support the USF&WS and ban amphibian keeping because of the chytrid problem. Looks like there is some stiff competition, so please write and support our right to keep amphibians

[onedge30]

I see the Save the Frogs notice. Listing all the causes with 'pet' hobby first, and all the 'likely to' and 'absolutely inevitable' chain of events. Very sad.

With all these possible bans and proposed testing, I feel overwhelmed as an individual to be able to actually do anything to change the course of these actions.

[John]

Savethefrog's is a man called Kerry Kriger. He's Australian - I don't even think he's a US citizen. I am still working on my comment but you can bet I'll mention Savethefrog's and their agenda (which is to make Kerry famous, not save frogs).