National strategy & public comment opportunities

National strategy

In November 2006, to provide national coordination leadership, Australia’s Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council endorsed a report titled A Strategic Approach to the Management of Ornamental Fish in Australia (external link).

The national strategy was developed by a national working group, including representatives from state and territory jurisdictions, and in collaboration with the ornamental fish industry, including the Pet Industry Association of Australia.

To protect our aquatic environment, the national strategy highlights the need for a consistent, national approach to the regulation and management of the ornamental fish sector in Australia.

Fisheries Victoria is implementing the national strategy key recommendations (see below) as a member of the national Ornamental Fish Management Implementation Group (OFMIG). The OFMIG publishes a monthly communiqué to keep interested people up to date on their work (external link). This communiqué is recommended reading for avid hobbyists and people engaged in the ornamental fish industry.

Key recommendations

To strengthen Australia’s biosecurity system so as to protect our waterways, the national strategy recommends the following actions to manage ornamental fish in Australia.

1. Agree on and adopt a national noxious species list across all jurisdictions, noting links to existing lists and lists under development for marine pest species.
2. Agree to review the status of fish on the ‘grey list’ as a national priority.
3. Establish a scientific/technical working group reporting to the Natural Resource Management Standing Committee (through the Marine and Coastal Committee), to conduct assessments of fish on the grey list over the next 2-3 years.
4. Adopt a regulatory framework and licensing to manage large fish-breeders and ornamental fish importers in each state and territory.
5. Develop control mechanisms for the regulation and management of noxious fish and rare fish (e.g. CITES listed) already in circulation in Australia, again noting links to control plans for marine pests of concern.
6. Initiate a rigorous review of aquatic plants used in the ornamental fish trade, in order to control and regulate the spread of a number of recognised aquatic pest species.
7. Implement a national communication strategy to raise awareness in the community and industry about the management, control and regulation of ornamental fish and invertebrates.

The national noxious species list & grey list

The starting point for consideration and implementation of national strategy recommendation 1 – the development of a national NAS list - was the consolidation of existing jurisdictional NAS lists, including a list of species that were proposed for addition to the Victoria NAS list during this period. Where there was unanimous agreement that a species on this consolidated list was noxious the species was added to the national NAS list. Of note, the national NAS list does not have a basis in law. It remains the role of each jurisdiction to list species on their own legally-based NAS list.

The grey list review

Where there was not unanimous agreement on the status of a species for inclusion on the national NAS list, it was added to what is described in the national strategy as the ‘grey list’. Species on the grey list require further scientific review and investigation to determine whether they should be added to, or exempted from, the national NAS list and subsequently legally-based NAS list maintained by each jurisdiction.

A national technical group of scientists and industry representatives (established by the OFMIG) has started reviewing the risk of ornamental fish species on the grey list establishing in waters in Victoria, and in other Australian states and territories, and the potential environmental impacts if this happened.

The review of the grey list will be staged to ensure there is adequate public consultation, and consideration of the risks around each species.

The species considered in the first round of the grey list review and found to be noxious, have just been added to Victoria’s NAS list (internal link). This first round of additions consists of species the technical group considered not to be of importance to the ornamental fish sector but to have a high risk of causing considerable damage to natural ecosystems if released into the wild.

Public comment opportunities

Fisheries Victoria is now seeking public comment on the next round of species for consideration to be declared as noxious aquatic species in Victoria. The public consultation period for these species will be open from Monday, 18 January 2011 to close of business on Friday, 6 May 2011.

Comments can be sent to by post to:
Manager Policy and Strategy, Fisheries Victoria
Department of Primary Industries
GPO Box 4440 Melbourne Victoria 3001

Comments can be sent to by email to:
Luke.cromie@dpi.vic.gov.au

It is proposed that these species be added to the national NAS list and Victorian NAS list.