NEWS FLASHES

SPAIN NOW LARGEST EXPORTER OF ORNAMENTAL FISH?
According to FAO statistics Spain has rapidly developed as an ornamental fish exporting country. In 2011 Spain was placed as first in ornamental fish export in these statistics. Want to know more?

Sri Lankan Deputy Minister OFI’s guest of honor
Sri Lankas Deputy Minister of Economic Development Susantha Punchinilame will be the guest of honor at the OFI Dinner on Friday 31 may, during Aquarama 2013 in Singapore. The OFI dinner is for OFI members and invited guests. The next day the Deputy Minister will open the OFI Seminar with a welcome address.

Stingrays not listed in CITES appendix II
Two relatively little traded species Paratrygon aiereba and Potamotrygon schroederi, but also one of the species that is common in the trade, Potamotrygon motoro, were proposed by Colombia for inclusion in CITES appendix II of CITES. The argumentation for this proposal was very weak and mainly based on lack of data. The consequences of a listing would have been a serious increase of cost and bureaucracy for breeders and exporters. OFI and colleague trade associations were successful in their efforts against the proposals: they were not adopted.

Apple snails into Europe banned
Apple snails of the genus Pomacea will be prohibited for import and keeping into the European Union. A proposal was adopted in the past week and EU member States have to implement this. This has serious consequences for the aquarium trade. Not only will apple snails be banned for import, shipments of aquatic plants must have a declaration in the health certificate that they are inspected and found free of apple snails, and at arrival into the EU they will also be inspected. It will be prohibited to sell the snails in pet shops.
Reason for the ban is the outbreak of apple snails (Pomacea insularum) in Spain, in the Ebro delta, where they were found feeding on the rice plantations. The ban applies as from 8 November 2012. There is some space in the way Member States implement all restrictions.

EUS removed from EU list
As already announced the European Commission has drafted a proposal to remove Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome from the European list of diseases. Last week the EU member States approved the text. This means that very soon new Health Certificates will be published with all references to EUS removed. The decision will be published soon.
 

CITES: new arowana species in appendix I
With the description of a new species of Arowana, Scleropages inscriptus, or Batik arowana it was unclear what would be the CITES status of this fish. For this reason CITES has provisionally recommended that the species should be seen as split off from S. formusus and that is should have the same status: Appendix I. At the next CoP in Bangkok, March 2013, the recommendation will be on the agenda.

Salmonella in turtles
Salmonella is often related to reptiles in the pet hobby. Some claims are exaggerated; other may have more serious consequences for the future. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pennsylvania Health Department are investing an outbreak of salmonella associated with exposure to small pet turtles. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also cautions against owning pet turtles, warning that salmonella can cause "diarrhea, fever, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and headache.

EU import ban on Malaysian koi and goldfish continued
The inspectors of the European Food and Veterinary Office have published the report of their inspection of Malaysia The report mentions the many activities undertaken by the Malaysian Competent Authority, but also addresses the issues that are not (yet) in order. Although the basic structure seems to be in order now, parts like procedures to ensure proper enforcement, were only implemented less than a month before the FVO inspection. As a result many staff in the field were as yet not familiar enough with the procedures and backgrounds. Several other issues were not yet in order.
The report did not give the European Commission a reason to change anything in their position on exports of ornamental species to the EU. In other words: koi and goldfish are still banned for import into the European Union. Malaysia will have to prove that all measures implemented will provide the proper guarantees for the EU health requirements.


Invasive Species list Spain
At the end of December 2011 the Spanish government adopted new legislation (in Spanish) with respect to Invasive Alien Species. This legislation will have a serious effect on the ornamental fish industry. Spain will work with two black lists: Annexes I and II.

Annex I, the Catalogue, contains species that are no longer, allowed in Spain; not for import and not for keeping. There are transitional rules for people who now keep these animals. Species of interest for our industry in this Cataloque: 
Plants: Azolla spp., Cabomba carolineana, Egeria densa, Eichhornia crassipes, Elodea canadense, Fallopia japonica, Ludwigia spp (except L. palustris), Myriophyllum aquaticum, Pistia stratiotes, and Salvinia spp. 
Molluscs: Corbicula fluminea, and Pomacea spp. (all species!)
Crustaceans: Cherax destructor, Pacifastacus leniusculus, and Procambarus clarkii. 
Fish: Ameiurus melas, Channa argus, Channa marulius, Channa micropeltes, Fundulus heteroclitus, Gambusia holbrooki, Ictalurus punctatus, Lepomis gibbosus, Pseudorasbora parva, and Pterois volitans.
Amphibians: Xenopus laevis.
Reptiles: Chrysemys picta and Trachemys scripta.


The second list is a list with species recognized as potentially holding a risk. As far as we have understood, regions within Spain can take measures against these species. This list is much longer and includes Carassius auratus, Cyprinus carpio and Poecilia reticulata. 


Singapore restricts exports of aquatic plants to the EU
In the last year the UK authorities intercepted a considerable number of aquatic plants from Singapore because they were infected with white fly (Bemisia tabaci). The government of Singapore (AVA) now takes strict measures and effective Monday 16^th April 2012 the following species may no longer be exported to the European Union:

1. Alternanthera spp.

2. Hygrophila corymbosa

3. Hygrophila salicifolia

4. Cryptocoryne wendtii

5. Hemigraphis spp.

6. Anubias barteri

7. Echinodorus spp.

Apple snails banned into the EU?
The proposed EU legislation on apple snails now may not just result in a ban on import of all apple snails. The draft legislation also includes that aquatic plants may only be imported from countries or farms free of apple snails. If this would be adopted this could have disastrous effects on imports of aquatic plants from many places in the world, including South East Asia. In the Spanish risk assessment for apple snails the researchers state that about 95 of all imported aquatic plants originate from areas where apple snails occur in the wild. Currently OFI cooperates with several organizations and with governments to prevent this proposal being adopted. We will update you in more detail as soon as possible. We now look for information on total export value of aquatic plants from export countries in Asia to EU. If you have such information, or if you know where we could get this, please inform the secretariat.


Australia: Iridovirus measures delayed
Biosecurity Advice 2012/01 notifies stakeholders of the status of the import risk analysis (IRA) for freshwater ornamental finfish with respect to the quarantine risks associated with gourami iridovirus and related viruses. The Director of Animal and Plant Quarantine has considered the IRA report and will await the completion of a University of Sydney survey of Australian fish for megalocytivirus before making a determination on the IRA’s recommendations. The survey will provide additional information about the disease status of Australian fish with respect to megalocytivirus. The provisional final IRA report was issued on 22 July 2010 for a 30-day appeal period. In October 2010 the Import Risk Analysis Appeals Panel advised the three appellants and the Director of Animal and Plant Quarantine that it had disallowed six claims and found the other to be outside the ground for appeal. 

Following completion of the appeal process, the Director of Animal and Plant Quarantine has considered the final IRA report. The Director notes that the estimation of risk in the IRA report is based on the assumption that farmed and wild Australian fish are free of megalocytivirus, and that this assumption is based on limited data. He is also aware of a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation funded survey of Australian fish for megalocytivirus currently being undertaken by the University of Sydney. The survey is due for completion in March 2013. Given that this survey will provide additional relevant information, the Director of Animal and Plant Quarantine has decided to await the survey’s outcome before making a policy determination. The current import conditions for freshwater ornamental fish with respect to iridovirus will remain in place until further notice.

ENGLAND AND WALES GO FOR KHV STATUS “INFECTED”
The competent authority of the United Kingdom, Defra, has informed the stakeholders as follows:
“Following a lengthy consultation exercise and evaluation of the possible benefits and likelihood of success, it has been concluded an eradication programme will not be undertaken for KHV disease in England and Wales.
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