Tropical fish are the most populous pet in the UK and many homes will have an aquarium or garden pond housing them. However, there are increasing calls for additional measures to control or even ban the trade and keeping of so called ‘exotic pets’, a broad categorisation that can include tropical fish.
Many of these calls are based on significant misunderstandings about the trade. If these are acted upon in the absence of the facts we believe this risks decisions being made with serious unwanted outcomes.
In 2020, we launched our Fishing for Facts: an introduction to the UK ornamental fish trade to give an overview of the industry and examine a number of issues. The report is based on a wealth of robust evidence and research and aims to dispel many of the misconceptions about the trade, demonstrating they are often over-exaggerated and misrepresent the facts.
The report shows that tropical fish are well regulated, do not pose a significant biosecurity, invasive or zoonotic disease risk, and high welfare standards are maintained throughout the supply chain.
It was sent to UK politicians, officials and related organisations to help decision makers be better informed on issues affecting the ornamental fish trade.
Click on the image below to read the report.
