|
Prohibited Fishes and
Aquatic Fauna
To protect and conserve Florida's natural aquatic resources and help ensure
public safety, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
prohibits (see list above) or allows conditional possession (see
Restricted fishes) of certain non-native fishes and
aquatic fauna. Moreover, no person shall allow or permit any
freshwater aquatic organism not native to the state to remain in the waters
of any pond which is not maintained or operated for the production of such
non-native species.
The FWC uses well-defined criteria to determine where a species should
appear on the list. The most current list is available by checking the
Administrative Code
(See 68-5.002 and 68-5.003). Species that were included on the list as of July
2007 are described on this page. In general, prohibited non-native
aquatic species, listed in red in the link box above, may not be imported,
sold, possessed or transported in Florida. Very limited exceptions are made
by permit for viewing at accredited public aquaria or for research, provided
Commission-approved maximum security requirements are met. No exceptions are
made for certain prohibited species, such as piranha. Research permits
for prohibited aquatic species are also very stringent.
Restricted non-native aquatic species, listed in brown in the link
box above, may only be possessed under permit from the executive director.
Prior to the issuance of such permit, the facilities where the restricted
aquatic species are to be kept and waters where their use is intended may be
inspected by Commission personnel to assure that adequate safeguards exist
to prevent escape or accidental release into the waters of the state.
Note that much of the information on this page was taken from
Fish base
and "Living Fishes of the World," by Herald, or from the "Identification
Guide to the Restricted and Prohibited Exotic Fishes," which was edited by
Lt. Tom Quinn for FWC.
PROHIBITED
SPECIES
AFRICAN ELECTRIC CATFISH
Family: Malapteruridae (currently 1 genus and 2 species,
of which Malapterus electricus is best known)
Common Names - electric catfish
Description - Electric catfish are relatively fat looking, and
round in cross-section, like an over-stuffed sausage. They have
three pairs of barbels and dark vertical markings on the caudal fin.
They have no dorsal fins other than an adipose fin located close to the
tail. Typically gray or brown in color.
Range - They are native to Africa, especially the Nile and Congo river
systems
Habitat - Typically found among rocks or roots in sluggish or
standing water. Spawning Habits - Pairs breed in holes
and crevices along the bank.
Feeding Habits - Active at night, and feed mostly on fish
stunned by their electric discharge. Their electric organ is derived
from pectoral muscle surrounding most of the body and may discharge
300-400 volts.
Age and Growth - May reach 4-feet in length and a weight of
approximately 45
pounds. Known to reach at least 10 years of age.
Potential Concerns - A large predator with a relatively unique feeding and
defense mechanism. They could potentially spawn in Florida and create
both ecological and potentially even human safety concerns. They are known
in the aquarium industry. The entire family Malapteruridae is
prohibited in Florida.
AFRICAN TIGERFISH
(Hydrocynus spp.)
Common Names - African tigerfish
Description - These fish are silvery in color, with dark
tiger-like stripes and a large mouth equipped with sharp conical canine teeth.
The pelvic fins are arranged below the dorsal fin and the anal fin is far
back below an adipose fin. In most cases the caudal fin is deeply
forked.
Species - There are numerous species including the Giant
tigerfish.
Range - They are native to Africa, including the Nile and Congo river
systems.
Habitat - Typically pelagic. Spawning Habits -
Not known.
Feeding Habits - Aggressive piscivores that are
opportunistic and are taken for sport.
Age and Growth - The giant tigerfish can exceed 100 pounds and
4-feet in length.
Potential Concerns - A large predator that could potentially spawn in Florida and create
ecological problems. The entire subfamily Hydrocyninae is prohibited.
AIRBREATHING CATFISH
Family Clariidae (including all Clarias spp., except C. batrachus--see
also restricted fishes)
Common Names - walking catfishes, airbreathing catfishes
Description - These are elongated fishes with long dorsal and
anal fins and four pairs of barbels. An accessory organ (the suprabranchial arborescent organ) associated with the gill cavity allows
the fish to "breathe" air. Typical species have stout pectoral
spines but lack a dorsal spine. Color is typically gray to brown, but
albinos are common in the aquarium industry.
Species - There are 13 recognized genera in the family
Clariidae with approximately 100 species. All are prohibited in
Florida, except the walking catfish (Clarias batrachus)
which is restricted.
Range - Generally southeast Asia, including,
Pakistan, eastern India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma),
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines, they have
been moved about, and their native range is no longer distinct. The
walking catfish (C. batrachus) is established in south Florida.
Habitat - Typically found in transient waters where other
fishes do not thrive. Spawning Habits - They build
nests of detritus and vegetative matter and the male protects both the eggs
and young fry.
Feeding Habits - Benthic nocturnal omnivores, feeding on
most any type of protein they can locate on the bottom at night.
Age and Growth - May reach 2-feet in length .
Potential Concerns - The entire family Clariidae is
prohibited in Florida (except the walking catfish Clarias batrachus, which
is already established and hence is restricted). Initial concerns
dealt with their somewhat unique ability to move over moist ground between
water bodies and occupy a niche to which native species are not well adapted.
They are food fishes in their native range where their robust survival out
of water allows them to be kept fresh for the market.
PARASITIC CATFISH
Family Trichomycteridae (including Vandellia cirrhosa, Pygidium itatiayae)
Common Names - candirus, candero fish, vampire fish (known to
be illegally imported under the misnomer of Kuhli
loaches, Acanthophthalmus)
Description - The dorsal fin is placed well back with strong spines
on the operculum.
Species -
Range - From South America, especially the Amazon and Orinoco
river systems.
Habitat - Often reside on the muddy bottoms in slow flowing
areas. Spawning Habits - Not known.
Feeding Habits - Parasitic on the gills of fishes, to
which they are attracted by the water flow. Once embedded under the
gill cover, spiny protuberances lock the candiru in place and cause minor
hemorrhaging, the blood is then consumed. The fish reputedly also
are attracted to mammalian urine flows and can become painfully lodged in
the urethra.
Age and Growth - Small 1-3 inch long fish, approximately
one-quarter inch in diameter.
Potential Concerns - Could become established and would be an unwelcome
parasite on Florida fishes and potential human health concern. All members
of the family Trichomycteridae are prohibited.
ELECTRIC EEL
Family Electrophoridae (including Electrophorus electrticus)
Common Names - Electric eel
Description - Not a true eel; it is a member of the family of
naked knifefishes, that is nearly scaleless, has no dorsal fin and a very
long anal fin that is contiguous with the caudal fin. Color is
brownish gray with an orange patch under the chin. Pores used for
electro-sensing prey are obvious on the face.
Species - Only one species.
Range - South America, particularly the Amazon and
Orinoco river systems.
Habitat - Primarily slow moving water bodies, is an obligate
air breather so can survive anoxic (no oxygen) conditions but must reach
the surface to breathe. Spawning Habits - Egg layer,
fry are reputed to cannibalize their siblings eggs.
Feeding Habits - Uses the battery-like electric organs in
the posterior portion of the body to generate up to 600 volts.
Although a single fish is not normally lethal to an adult human, drowning
can result, and several eels may attack the same prey. Primarily
nocturnal they also use their electricity generating abilities to locate
prey.
Age and Growth - To eight feet or more and about 45 pounds.
Potential Concerns - Could potentially become established and create both
environmental and human health concerns. All members of the family
Electrophoridae are prohibited.
LAMPREYS
Family Petromyzonidae (including Petromyzon marinus)
Common Names - lampreys
Description - Eel-like bodies are cartilaginous, with no jaws,
scales or paired fins, two dorsal fins, sac-like gills with prominent
openings. These are among the earliest fish (280 million years in
archaeological records) and are parasitic using a sucking-disk shaped
mouth with rasping teeth that wear a hole in the flesh of its victim.
Species - 6 genera, 41 species
Range - Temperate waters of the world.
Habitat - Varies greatly with species. Spawning Habits -
Lay eggs in redds (nests) built on rocky sediments. Eggs hatch as
ammocoetes (a free-floating larval form that soon settles and burrows into
the bottom) that later metamorphose into the adult form. Females die
after laying their eggs.
Feeding Habits - Use the sucker shaped mouth to attach to
the prey and then use rasping teeth to bore through the skin and an
anticoagulant to allow them to feed on body fluids.
Age and Growth - Some species up to four feet.
Potential Concerns - Created major environmental problems when canal
construction allowed them to enter the great lakes. Occasionally cling
to swimmers. The entire family Petromyzonidae is prohibited.
PIRANHAS
Subfamily Serrasalminae (including Serrasalmus spp., Pygocentrus spp., Pygopristis spp.,
Rooseveltiella spp.)
Common Names - Piranhas and pirambebas, caribe, cariba
Description - Deep laterally compressed bodies are generally
silvery or golden in color, with a short adipose fin, jaws with a single
row of sharp tricuspid sheering teeth and no molars. Other characids
look somewhat similar but can be distinguished primarily by the dentition.
Pacus (Colossoma spp.), and
silver dollars (Metynnis spp.) as well as Myleus spp. and Mylossoma spp.
have molar-like teeth used for crushing food. In telling Piranhas
from Metynnis and other silver dollars, the angle of the jaw is a pretty
good characteristic for sorting them...forward jutting lower jaw that
forms a V at the angle is a piranha, even upper and lower jaw profile that
forms a U at the angle of the jaw is not a piranha.
Species - Numerous
Range - South America
Habitat - Rivers Spawning Habits -
Feeding Habits - Predatory, with their dentition they are
able to bite pieces out of larger prey, as opposed to having to swallow
their prey whole, as do most North American freshwater fishes. Often
feed in schools and exhibit feeding-frenzy behavior.
Age and Growth - Most less than 2 pounds but up to 16 inches and 6 pounds.
Potential Concerns - The entire subfamily Serrasalminae is prohibited in
Florida due to its predatory nature, human safety concerns and their proven ability to spawn and survive
in south Florida.
SNAKEHEADS
Family Channidae (Channa spp.)
Common Names - Snakehead
Description - Air-breathing, torpedo-shaped fish with flattened
head and toothed jaws; long anal and dorsal fins without spines; they
resemble bowfin in behavior and appearance, but are distinguished by a
long anal fin. In addition their is a bony-plate in the lower jaw
(throat area) of a bowfin that is lacking in snakeheads. Lower jaw extends beyond upper
in snakeheads, and they have tubular
nostrils.
Species - Two genera, 21-26 species
Range - Native range Pakistan, Malaysia, and southern
China and parts of tropical Africa.
Habitat - Spawning Habits - Spawn primarily from
March through May with a secondary peak in August; adults occasionally seen
herding young in shallows until 6-8 inches long; a sample of ripe females
contained an average of 4,700 ready to spawn eggs.
Feeding Habits - Bottom dwelling, ambush predator that feeds primarily
on small fish and crayfish, but occasionally eats a wide variety of prey
including turtles, toads, lizards, snakes, and insects.
Age and Growth - May grow to more than three feet and weights of about 15
pounds.
Potential Concerns - The entire family Channidae is prohibited. The
bullseye snakehead is already established in south Florida. It is
a popular sport fish in its native range.
PROHIBITED TILAPIA
(Sarotherodon spp., Oreochromis spp., Tilapia spp.)
Common Names - Tilapia, St. Peter's fish
Description - Tilapia are cichlids that maintain the common
trait of all cichlids of having a split lateral line (rather than being
contiguous in one smooth curve, the lateral line is distinctly broken with
the posterior portion being lower down on the body. On the other
hand, they are one of the few cichlid groups with cycloid
scales rather than ctenoid. A way to check
this is to gently brush your finger along the scales if they feel
relatively smooth compared to other cichlids, it is likely a tilapia. Otherwise they
generally resemble sunfish but with a long continuous dorsal fin, which
has stout spines in the anterior portion; the pelvic and anal fins also
have strong anterior spines. Vertical bars or spots are common in
many of these fishes, especially on the young. Note: the blackchin
and spotted tilapia depicted here are established in south Florida but
still prohibited to help reduce their range expansion.
Species - Very numerous (> 100 )
Range - Originally from the east African lakes.
Habitat - Varies by species primarily lakes, but also rivers
and estuaries. Spawning Habits - Tilapia spp.
are egg bearers that build nests. Sarotherodon spp. (male or female parent) and
Orechromis spp. (maternal only) are mouth-brooding and prolonged parental
care is common place even in the genus Tilapia, which are
biparental
substrate spawners that guard their young until they are about 1-inch long.
Feeding Habits - Mostly ominvorous feeding relatively low
on the food chain.
Age and Growth - Fairly rapid growth, some of the larger
species reach about 10 pounds.
Potential Concerns - Prohibited due to their proven ability to establish
large thriving populations in Florida. All species of Sarotherodon, Oreochromis
and Tilapia are prohibited, except O. aureus, O hornorum, O.
mossambica and O. nilotica, which were requested for use in the
aquaculture industry under strict permit criteria are listed as
restricted (not prohibited). Tilapia are
second only to carp in worldwide production via aquaculture for food and
also occur in the aquarium trade. Blue tilapia (O. aureus)
may be possessed in much of Florida without a permit.
TRAHIRAS
or SOUTH AMERICAN TIGERFISHES Family
Erythrinidae (including Hoplias spp.,
and Erythrinis spp.)
Common Names - Trara, tahira, trairao, wolf fish, mud characin,
tiger fish.
Description - Strong jaw with irregularly spaced sharp teeth,
no adipose fin, rounded caudal fin, big scales, large eyes, and the anal
fin is behind the dorsal with pelvic fins below the dorsal.
Species - Hoplias malbaricus is pictured.
Range - South America
Habitat - Primarily rivers, but also lakes and back waters.
Salinity tolerance allows them to favor the mouths of rivers. Spawning Habits -
Feeding Habits - A large fish-eating predator that is taken for sport
and food, will also consume crustaceans.
Age and Growth - To about 20 inches and 3-4 pounds.
Potential Concerns - Voracious predator. All members of the family
Erythrinidae are prohibited. Were on the verge of becoming established
in the Manatee River in 1974, but the cold weather of 1977 eliminated the
illegal introduction. Could become established further south.
AIRSAC CATFISHES
Family Heteropneustidae (including Heteropneustes fossilis, H. kemratensis and H. microps)
Common Names - stinging catfish
Description - Elongate and compressed body. Head strongly
depressed, with four pairs of barbels. A long air sac that extends
backwards from the gill chamber functions as a lung. Short dorsal fin with
no leading spine and no distinct adipose fin. Pectoral spines have poison
glands that are dangerous to humans.
Species - One genus, three species.
Range - Pakistan to Thailand.
Habitat - Rivers and ponds, mostly turbid waters. Spawning Habits -
Not known.
Feeding Habits - Nocturnal and omnivorous.
Age and Growth - Up to one foot in length.
Potential Concerns - All members of the family Heteropneustidae are
prohibited. Sting can be dangerous to people. Some are raised in
aquaculture for food and medicinal value.
GREEN SUNFISH
(Lepomis cyanellus)
Common Names - green sunfish, the hybrid is a Georgia giant
Description - A slender bodied bream with a maximum depth that
is less than the distance from the snout to the origin of the dorsal (most
sunfish are deeper bodied). Mouth relatively large, extending to the
middle of the eye. Color is blue-green on back with mottled yellow
green streaks. Gill cover is dark but has a light yellowish margin
as does the edge of the fins.
Species - One
Range - From North America but do not naturally extend
into Florida.
Habitat - Lakes and ponds. Spawning Habits -
Similar to other sunfish.
Feeding Habits - Similar to other sunfish
Age and Growth - To 12 inches and perhaps two pounds.
Potential Concerns - Known to rapidly colonize a water body but then to
stunt and may also hybridize with other bream affecting the gene pool.
L. cyanellus is prohibited.
AUSTRALIAN CRAYFISH
(Cherax spp., except for Cherax quardicarinatus in tank
culture)
Common Names - Australian crayfish or crawfish, Marron (Cherax
tenuimanus), Koonac (Cherax plebejus), Yabby (Cherax albidus) and Glilgie
(Cherax quinquecarinatus)
Description -
Species -
Range -
Habitat - Spawning Habits -
Feeding Habits -
Age and Growth -
Potential Concerns - Australian crayfish, except for tank culture of the red
claw crayfish is prohibited due to potential conflict with numerous
threatened native crayfish and impacts on dikes and the food chain.
ZEBRA MUSSELS
(Dreissena polymorpha)
Common Names - Zebra Mussel
Description - Adults typically have a striped pattern on their
shells. However, the pattern varies greatly with the stripes sometimes
virtually invisible. Note: zebra mussels look like the native
Dark-false mussel (Mytilopsis leucophaeta) that is found in Lake
Okeechobee and its tributaries.
Gary Warren can be contacted to microscopically distinguish these
mussels.
Species - Dreissena polymorpha
Range - Balkans, Caspian Sea, Ural River and USSR
Habitat - Primarily fresh water, usually at depths of six to 25
feet. They tolerate low salinity and and prefer high calcium water.
Temperatures over 88 degrees Fahrenheit may be lethal helping to control
the spread if they reach Florida. Well oxygenated waters are preferred
where their filter feeding can quickly clarify the water, but at the same
time the mussels foul pipes and create other ecological problems. Spawning Habits -
Females reproduce at age two. Over one million eggs can be released in
a spawning season. The larvae (veligers) emerge within 3 to 5 days and are
free-swimming for up to a month. The larvae settle to the bottom where they
enter a juvenile stage and crawl about on the bottom by means of a foot,
searching for suitable substratum, to which they attach themselves by means
of a byssus. They have a difficult time staying attached when water
velocities exceed two meters per second.
Feeding Habits - Zebra mussels filter feed using both
inhalant and exhalant siphons and can filter more than a quart of water
per day extracting the algae for food.
Age and Growth - Life span is 4-5 years with adults are about
3/4 to 2 inches long.
Potential Concerns - See also USGS
Fact
sheet. Dreissena polymorpha are prohibited in Florida.
Fouling of pipe, boats, piers etc. is an obvious problem but their ability
to remove so much of the nutrients from the water columns could be a much
more critical long-term ecological problem. Zebra mussels are
prohibited in Florida.
MITTEN CRAB
(Eriocheir)
Common Names - mitten crab
Description - The carapace is extremely convex (curved upward)
with four sharp edged lobes, a notch occurs between the eyes. The
claws normally have a "furry" appearance, which leads to the common name,
and are symmetrical. Color is normally brown with lighter ends on
the claws.
Species - Four species
Range - North China Sea
Habitat - Freshwaters with hard bottoms Spawning Habits -
In the 4th or 5th year the females head towards saltwater and can lay 1/4 to
1-million eggs, which subsequently go through a series of larval stages
Feeding Habits - Consume aquatic vegetation
Age and Growth - Carapace width to about 3-inches is typical
and legs maybe double that for a total spread of 15 inches.
Potential Concerns - The genus Eriocheir and any part thereof is
prohibited in Florida. They can host lung flukes which affect
humans and create burrows that can impact dikes as well as competing with
native species.
|
