Aquariums have always been big attractions for tourists, thus is a kingly ransom for the tourism sectors of most parts of the world. What is a relief to the tourism industry is a growing concern for the conservationists.
The Australia’s aquaria and ornamental ponds – major tourist attractions – import millions of exotic fish each year. This, the scientists worry, would devastate the continent’s biodiversity!
Each of these ornamental aquarium fish are said to import along with them millions of harmful pathogens every week. These pathogens can potentially lead to severe ecological impacts.
Do you know, Australia imports around 8 to 10 million ornamental fish each year? Yes, providing with this statistics Prof Whittington and Dr Roger Chong, of Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries said,
(they carry a) plethora of exotic pathogens and parasites recorded and not yet recorded.
So, you can well imagine the amount of these harmful foreign pathogens being released into Australia’s ecosystem each year! And the result – an unprecedented, irreversible devastation of the continent’s biodiversity as a whole.
So, what’s the remedy?
Inspecting fish on arrival into Australia? No, as it fails to pick up pathogens that are not causing symptoms, and hence can’t be of much use for new diseases, about which little is known.
The solution is at the roots. Its only reformation of the international trade laws, which is the sole answer to Australia’s protection against this ticking time bomb for the continent’s biodiversity.
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