Catching non-native (or invasive) aquarium fish?

Would non-native or invasive aquarium fish or other aquatic livestock be ok to keep, to sell, or to selectively breed? I was initially curious about the plecos, because I did some light reading about the non-native plecos.

(I did glean some notes from the other forum threads )
Pros:
Removes non-native, or even invasive, aquarium fish (or other animals) from natural habitats
'Survival of the fittest'
Perhaps can selectively breed (sparingly) back into farmed or hobbyist-bred aquarium fish

Cons:
Hard to actually catch
(Mebe) Might have to learn how to minimize damaging the natural environment for the process of catching the non-native or invasive fish
Might not be financially profitable, if catching them to quarantine and sell
May be inbred
Probably less aesthetically pleasing (less pretty)
Quarantine and medications for diseases, parasites, viruses, etc.
I have no ideas what rules or laws there would be involved

I do know it sounds like it's ok to catch and keep guppies from Berkeley Springs, WV, but that's the only example I've really looked into thus far.

Unfortunately, this idea will not 'make up for' aquarium pets released into the wild, whether intentionally released or not. Once something is in the wild, especially if it turns out to be invasive, I suspect it can be impossible to eliminate it again, between my limited experience outside this hobby and researching online.

Related Internet sources:
Berkeley Springs, West Virginia Feral Guppies Berkeley Springs Wild-Type Males (the guppies were introduced into WV, USA but they are not native here)
THESE SUCKERS ARE DANGEROUS
Related videos:

Kinda related forum threads:
Wild caught vs. captive bred? | Apistogramma Cichlid Forum | 496237
Wild Caught vs Fish Farm | Freshwater Aquarium Discussion Forum | 473309

 

Your first stop would be to read up on local bylaws and restrictions before embarking on anything like this, speak to your local law enforcement, wildlife & game dept at the city hall etc..

The world is full of people with the best intentions but if, at the end of the day, you have not checked with law enforcement and the wildlife dept if what you want to do is legally allowed or if you require licensing, then you could easily end up with a criminal record and be in serious trouble legally.

 

I agree with pagoda. I've worked in a nature reserve for a while. Internationally accepted practice is to remove invasive species only for culling or scientific studies. Any keeping or even breeding is usually prohibited, and trading often is also illegal.

The paper says about the guppies it's not discouraged by the authorities to collect them. I'm a bit unnerved by such laissez-faire policies.

 

Where I live many invasive species have to be killed if caught. Not allowed to return them to the water or take them home.

 

Where I live in Australia (GlennO) NSW the rules change at least every year. As a recreational fishing person I am involved with discussions about continuing changes . While I don’t have this weeks set of rules Glenno returning carp and refine is currently allowed . As the government authorities were catching and returning fish with electronic tags into the Murrumbidgee the rules were changed
last year.

Moving fish from place to place including taking them home alive is still forbidden.

Current changes in the rules of stocking in the ACT are going to include members of the public wishing to release fish for religious practices being able to come along on days when fishing clubs are stocking lakes etc with natives and do their religious thing.

We had a few restaurant barramundi fish from the restaurants that kill and cook in front of the customer turning up in our cold water lakes. I believe some were found in Sydney harbour 12 months ago.

 

Talk about invasive species and the Australians are not far away. Thank you, guys!

 

Where I live in Australia (GlennO) NSW the rules change at least every year. As a recreational fishing person I am involved with discussions about continuing changes . While I don’t have this weeks set of rules Glenno returning carp and refine is currently allowed . As the government authorities were catching and returning fish with electronic tags into the Murrumbidgee the rules were changed
last year.

Wow I had no idea of that change. Previously you'd get hung, drawn and quartered for returning carp to the water. Ironically some other introduced species such as trout cause almost as much devastation to our native species but because of their value to recreational fishing and tourism they continue to be restocked into many of our waterways.

 

Wow I had no idea of that change. Previously you'd get hung, drawn and quartered for returning carp to the water. Ironically some other introduced species such as trout cause almost as much devastation to our native species but because of their value to recreational fishing and tourism they continue to be restocked into many of our waterways.

That is where we are at in my state with carp, invasive but a lot of rec value. However, they are also one of like 3 species of fish that is legal to catch via spear or bow fishing.

 

Thank-you everyone.

Your first stop would be to read up on local bylaws and restrictions before embarking on anything like this, speak to your local law enforcement, wildlife & game dept at the city hall etc..

That makes a lot of sense.

Internationally accepted practice is to remove invasive species only for culling or scientific studies. Any keeping or even breeding is usually prohibited, and trading often is also illegal.

Thank-you, I didn't realize that the latter was usually considered to be a prohibited practice for invasive fish. It does make sense for invasive species to be culled though.

We had a few restaurant barramundi fish from the restaurants that kill and cook in front of the customer turning up in our cold water lakes. I believe some were found in Sydney harbour 12 months ago.

That's interesting. I appreciate how those restaurants are allowed to do this.