L168 Danned Again

[dammwoman]

The Queensland AQIS Officer has as of yesterday made official application to have the L168 removed from the import list.  
His reasons are simply that they are too hard to identify from other L number catties..
His application will probably be accepted so its back to smuggled fish at smuggled prices and the chances that they will ever allow another L number onto the import list is remote.
Linda

[Sigmaphile]

Please insert every swear word you can thing of in here.
AND I MEAN [size=24:da936bb5d3]EVERY[/size:da936bb5d3] SWEAR WORD

[jamosfish]

Do you know how long it will take to be processed?

thanks
jamos

[syno1]

Hi Linda,
           How did the 2 new additions settle in after Saturday night
               

                                             Regards Chris

[likesfish]

Wow, this is going to make everybody frantically buying up what they can get their hands on. Holy smokes, it's like having the best looking chick or guy as a partner, and suddenly waking up and finding them gone. Man,emotions swing high and low when it comes to the old rare pleco. I advertised some adult L135 at very bargain prices, with an excellent sex ratio, and finally somebody put their hand up  and snapped them up. Now, instinct always tells you to be greedy, but, a deal is always a deal regardless of circumstances. So, i hope all who have, keep on holding onto what they have, if the confirmation of L168 is going to be removed from the list. Hold onto them, and accumulate what you can get. Bit like a collectors item L catfish.

[jamosfish]

Collectors items indeed  :lol:

[dammwoman]

I'm not sure how long it will take to process but Bay are expecting to not be allowed anymore in at all.  A new shipment has made it into Sydney but the prices are going up already so they can't be planning on getting in too many more either.
Of course his application may be reqected but it does have a reallty good chance to going through.

Chris.
Ones pretty beat up.  Must have brawled in the box. Buggers but its by its self and hopefully comes good.
Linda

[genie]

What I can't understand is... If its so easy for the hobbyist breeders to come to the conclusion that it is not  the correct fish why can't the professionals?  

If there are not enough experts amongst the professional to check imports throughly, it sounds to me like there ought to be more jobs going in the public service for people who know their fish!   Not just ban the fish.

The type of money changing hands in the catfish market in
Australia more than justifies the cost of wages.

[likesfish]

i guess identifying fish to the correct genus species level requires checks that could make the fish more expensive and does take time e.g. if you had to count the fin rays and what other criteria, even for an "expert" it would take 5 mins., added to a bit of handling and catching stress. At $50-100 ph for an ichthyologist, expect paying at least an extra $10-20 per fish. Obviously, for expensive catfish i'm referring to. Have you ever tried identifying sea snails, it is very tedious?

[likesfish]

Also to add, the DPI/GREENY folk are very concerned about introduction of exotic  diseases. Hence, i can understand why there is such a trade in quality imports. If you have ever visited overseas and saw the prices, you'd have a heart attack. A redtailed catfish in Aust has a commanding price from 500-800 per unit. In the Philipines, the same fish you can pick up for 80-100 (and that's for a 15cm one) Bristlenose are 25c each and longfins i was told go for 3-5 per unit. Zebras (difficult to track down) go for around $80-125. Again, the old Zeb is dearly loved and sought. Adonis catfish one canpick up for 25-45 US, king tiger plecos around the $40 US. Again, if these rarer items were offered for $200 per piece, the sales would boom. Too many are targeting for over $400 per item and they are usually indiv ones. I sold some very nice L135 big and fat for a price that would be silly to ignore and no one except one hardcore player picked them up. Cheers and keep the Zebra dream alive!!!

[dammwoman]

As a further update on the 168's.
A shipment of them came into Sydney on Monday and have been seized by AQIS so its not looking good.
Linda

[Alan Caboolture]

Goodness,

Lets hope that those of us who have L104's (Clown plecos) or those fortunate enough to get L168's (Butterfly plecos) get serious and breed a few.

The storm clouds on the horizon don't bode well for future imports!!!!

I have not got any of either at the moment and prospects don't look good!! :cry:

Alan.

[dammwoman]

No chances of getting them again are slim.
Enough of both varieties did make it in legally though so we should be able to get them both breeding here.
Pity its probably nailed the coffin closed on any other L numbers to ever be included in the import list again.
To those of you who phoned AQIS whining about being ripped off for $30 or so GOOD ON YOU. . . IDIOTS.
Linda

[Thanes]

It's a pity AQIS didn't just say buyer beware.

Brian.

[dammwoman]

Why would AQIS say' buyer beware' when they have just been handed proof that other varieties that were still illegal to import were being slipped into the shipments as L168.

They probably couldn't believe that any hobbist was stupid enough to tell them... then after they picked themselves up off the floor said
'YEHA lets stick it to um'!!!.