The title is not hyperbole. The US Koi industry is facing a very serious threat. Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery, and the industry in general, needs your help to fight back.
What is happening
The Center for Invasive Species Prevention (CISP, a private, non-government organization) has petitioned the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to add 43 species to the Injurious Species list. This list includes Cyprinus carpio, aka common carp or koi.
What this means
Addition to the Injurious Species list will make transportation of koi across state lines illegal. If we allow this to happen, production and importation of koi in the US would no longer be economically feasible. This would effectively eliminate the US Koi industry – overnight. Your koi sales would be completely eliminated.
Thousands of people would be left jobless, millions of dollars of revenue would be lost from the US economy, and each and every state would lose tax revenue.
What is being done
The National Aquaculture Association (NAA) is a private entity designed to help in the fight against changing regulation which would be harmful to the aquaculture industry in the US. Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery has been in contact with the NAA to offer our full support and help in fighting this regulation change.
The NAA has assured Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery, as well as many other businesses in the industry, that they are hard at work formulating a plan for the most effective and efficient way to fight and oppose this regulation change. Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery, along with other affected parties, are receiving regular updates from the NAA regarding the steps being taken in this time-consuming process.
What can you do?
At this point, raising awareness of this issue among those involved in the industry is critical. Share this blog post with anyone you know who is involved in the koi industry. Feel free to copy the text of this blog post, alter it appropriately and print it for distribution to your koi hobbyist customers. GET THE WORD OUT! The more voices that are heard, the better chance we have of defeating this!
Subscribe to our newsletter. As we receive updates from the NAA, we will pass them along to you as quickly as possible.
Contact your elected officials to voice your disagreement with this proposed regulation change. Find your elected officials here. Call, write or email to their offices’ to let them know you strongly disagree with this change. Be firm but polite. Feel free to use this form letter.
Contact US Fish And Wildlife At The Appropriate Time
At the appropriate time, we will contact you with instruction and direction as to how to comment on this matter with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Commenting at the appropriate time and through the appropriate channels will ensure that everyone’s voice and opinion on the matter is heard. We ask that you refrain from contacting US Fish and Wildlife Service until a clear plan of action has been set forth. Just know that Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery is doing everything in our power to make sure that this doesn’t become a reality.
We understand how important this issue will be to everyone in the koi industry. We would like to thank you in advance for your support and help in this time of need.
We can be reached for questions or comments at regulations@blueridgekoi.com.
Sincerely,
The LeFever Family – Randy, Karen, Casey and Josh – and all the employees at Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery
Hello, just shared your post with our Midwest Koi facebook fans, hope it helps!
Yana
Why is the common carp on the list? Talking to regulators alone is risky. What if we network together to talk about why the species is on the list. Detail that problem, gather some heads together at the next aquaculture conference and see if we can’t just solve the problem. If we are all working together to solve the problem then there won’t be any need for regulation.
Too many people have released their fish into streams, lakes, rivers, etc. and the carp can be invasive – they get BIG and eat most everything they can….crowding out native species…and around here in Oregon, the F&W does not like having to try and eradicate the bazillions that hatch and take over. Just like in Florida, where everyone just HAD to let their snakes go….oh, and their lion fish and don’t forget pet frogs that are only supposed to be in AFRICA…now there is a HUGE problem in the Everglades….
The common carp that populate waterways now were put their intentionally by Fish and Wildlife in the early 1900s. A very, very small percentage of the carp in waterways are Koi. Eliminating the Koi industry would do absolutely nothing to address the issue of common carp in public waterways.
Before anyone gets crazy about my other post – I HAVE koi – in a contained pond – and would NEVER release them into the “wild.”