US Government Seeks Comments on Proposed Amphibian Trade Restrictions

[Kurt]

US F&W proposal FWS-R9-FHC-2009-0093-0001 is now up for public commentary and review. You will have until Dec 16th to let US F&W know what you think about it. You can read Frank Indiviglio's article at That Pet Place on the subject. In his article, he explains what is actually going on and provides the link the Federal Register where you can make your opinion known. He does this in user-friendly" terms. No "legalese."
http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatre...-restrictions/

If you do comment please don't say things like "this is so unfair", "why are you picking on us?," "we should be able to keep whatever we want," and so on. You don't want to come off immature or unintelligent. What you say will matter. So think about what you want to say before you type. Also, it doesn't seem to matter if you are a resident or citizen of the US, as I have seen comments from Australia in full support of the proposal.

I have attached a PDF copy of the proposal so people will know a little more about FWS-R9-FHC-2009-0093-0001 and not panic over rumors about it. Frank explains it in his article, but this is the actual proposal and you can look it over for yourself. Thanks go to Michael Shrom for providing a copy of it to me.

Personally, I am in partial support of the measure. I think imports from overseas and Latin America should be checked for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (chytrid), but I don't think it is nessisary for interstate travel and commerce.

[poison beauties]

This bill or something like it could very well kill out hobby. If they think it will stop the introduction or spread of chytrid they are wrong as it somes in on plants and soils as well. I talk to many frogger including the importers and bigger breeders and they have no interest in getting all neccessary permits and paying for testing for every frog if this bill passes in order to ship across state lines. The bad part is the idea has not been introduced and its not going to go away. They will evenyually pass it or something like it. For the froggers in the states where the hobby is not all that strong you will have trouble getting ahold of new species or selling your own froglets.

Everyone needs to speak out against this.

Michael

[Kurt]

If anybody does leave a comment on the Federal Register regarding FWS-R9-FHC-2009-0093-0001, please let us now via this thread. Many thanks

[John]

This is a reminder that there are only 11 days left to leave a comment on the Federal Register.

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!

[poison beauties]

Chytrid is also spread easily through the plant trade, It comes in on the plants and in the soil. So be carefull about dumping the soil out from plants you buy at wholsalers and nurseries. One thing to remember is they try to push it off as the hobby caused this. Ask them why its spread all over the world now where this hobby has no ties. Everyone should speak out. A frog on you want list very well may stay on your want list if this bill passes. Many breeders and importers will just close up shop rather than pay out what it will take to cover the new rules. It will end the hobby.

Michael