if i had a 50,000 gallon aquarium you guys think i shouldnt be able to get a shark and that they should be banned?
That's a nonsensical question. Can you point out a single example of a hobbyist with a 50,000 gallon aquarium? Hell, Scott Michael recommends a minimum tank size of
only 4,800 gallons for them. Can you point to a hobbyist with a tank even that big (with appropriate horizontal dimensions)?
If 50,000 gallon, 10x20 ft tanks were common in the trade, this wouldn't be an issue, but they're not. Nurse sharks on the other hand, are.
Most people cant care for a fish thats 40" 's long let alone 14'... But some people can.
Example?
I bet most LFS will take any fish if you call and ask.
Most won't take nurse sharks. Most public aquariums or research institutions won't take them either. They're too big and there are too many irresponsible owners who try to unload them when they outgrow their tanks. It's no different than buying a baby python and assuming that a zoo or pet shop will take it when it gets too big for you to care for it.
There are plenty of large fish available to the trade...
And none of them grow longer than standard tanks and are regularly stocked by wholesalers. Wobbegongs, black tips, leopard sharks, barracudas, and some of the largest eels are about the only ones in the hobby that physically grow longer than a 6 ft tank, and all of those would usually only be available by special request. Nurse sharks reach adult size at over 9 feet and are regularly available from most big wholesalers.
Yes, there are lots of other big fish in the hobby that arguably get too large to be kept happy, but their adult size isn't larger than the tank itself, which is the primary reason for singling out nurse sharks.
"How big is your tank?" "It's um... 210gal" "Oh, a Nurse is probably not right for you, how about a Banded Cat, or smooth hound?" It's simple.
Sure, it's that simple in a perfect world where everyone is responsible, honest, and ethical all the time. If we lived in that world animals would never be abused and we would have no need for any laws about fraud or theft either. But we live in the real world where people do abuse and neglect their animals and where shop employees regularly sell people animals they know they have no business buying in order to make a quick buck.
whos the only ones they WON'T Regulate... NON-PROFITS!!!!! Like the National Aquariums... They will still be free to kill "PALLETS" of fish and won't suffer at all
Commercial and public aquariums are already regulated through the AZA.
More Taxes to pay the lazy goverment employee who's job it is to TAX and REGULATE my FISH!
Huh? No one is proposing any taxation. The government already does inspections for trade in restricted species at wholesalers and retailers. Adding one more species to that list doesn't add any administrative or enforcement cost.
