Ban “eel” as beautiful as possible! How to prevent the invasion of alien species in the market and e-commerce?
This is a strange fish – although it has a tail, but its mouth is pointed and long, much like a crocodile, its name is alligator gar. In the past month, in order to catch two crocodile gars, Ruzhou, Henan did not hesitate to drain more than 200,000 cubic meters of lake water to fish them. What is the origin of this alligator gar? Why “must be caught”?
Ruzhou, Henan: Draining lake water to catch crocodile gar
When the reporter from the head office arrived at the Central Park in Ruzhou, Henan on the afternoon of the 29th, Yunchan Lake had returned to its former tranquility. More than a month ago, a local citizen photographed a large and strange fish in Yunchan Lake. After identification by relevant departments, it was confirmed that it was an alien species alligator gar. After trying various methods, the local decided to drain more than 200,000 cubic meters of lake water for round-up.
Qi Li, person in charge of urban park management in Ruzhou City, Henan Province: The crocodile gar is relatively large, fierce, and very alert, and it hardly moves at the bottom of the lake. Later, it was discovered that after we used the harpoon to fork, the whole harpoon was broken, and the fishing net was broken. In the end, it was finally caught by the joint efforts of six professionals.
Many netizens watched the “fishing scene” online. On the evening of August 26, the alligator gar was finally caught, and was subsequently treated harmlessly. At present, after two rounds of comprehensive disinfecting of the lake bottom, Yunchan Lake was re-stored on the 27th, and it was full on the evening of the 28th.
Kunming, Yunnan: The crocodile gar property in the viewing pool of the community is captured in time
On August 26, a community in Kunming, Yunnan also drained the water in the viewing pool and caught a crocodile gar. Residents of the community first discovered it on August 11, and it was about 60 centimeters long. In the following days, the property staff found that no other fish in the viewing pool could be seen.
At present, the Kunming Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau has set up an expert group to investigate the alligator gar that appeared here.
Guiping, Guangxi: 2 alligator gars successfully caught in a scenic area
On August 25, Guangxi Guiping Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau also successfully caught two crocodile gars in the lotus pond in Xishan Scenic Area, each about 1 meter long and weighing about 7.5 kilograms. At present, law enforcement officers have carried out harmless treatment of the captured alligator gar in accordance with the operating norms.
News link: Alligator gar alien species has no natural enemies in China
In addition to Henan, Yunnan, and Guangxi just mentioned, in the past month, Beijing, Hunan, and Shandong have reported the discovery of alligator gars. According to media reports, there are also cases of children being bitten. In fact, in the past few years, Guangdong, Fujian, Sichuan, Jiangsu and other provinces have also recorded wild distribution records of alligator gars. Often, as soon as they appear, other fish and shrimps disappear. So, what kind of fish is a crocodile gar? Where did it come from?
For our country, the alligator gar is an exotic species. It is native to North America and is a freshwater giant carnivorous fish. The adult fish can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and has strong reproductive ability. In addition, it is also a “non-picky eater”, as long as it is almost all living things in the water; the hard scales are enough to allow it to escape the threat of ferocious predators, so it is at the top of the food chain. Once placed in natural waters, It will bring disaster to the aquatic ecosystem.
Li Changkan, professor of biology, curator of the Natural History Museum of Zhengzhou City, Henan Province: The crocodile gar has no natural enemies in mainland China, especially because it is very large and has sharp teeth. Ordinary aquatic animals are not its opponents. It preys on native fish in large quantities, which will cause the food chain to break.
In addition, experts also gave a negative answer to the practice of some netizens who joked that crocodile gar can be reduced by fishing and eating.
Ding Zhaochen, Technical Commissioner of the Nanjing Finless Dolphin Protection Association: When the female crocodile gar is breeding, its ovaries are highly toxic, and the idea of consuming it to contain it is more dangerous.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: National census of 10 exotic creatures including alligator gar
In January last year, the “Work Plan for Further Strengthening the Prevention and Control of Invasion of Alien Species” issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and other five departments mentioned that it is necessary to “promote the comprehensive management of aquatic invasive alien species such as alligator gar”. This year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and other relevant departments formulated Notice to conduct a national census of 10 major exotic aquatic organisms, including alligator gar.
Ren Dapeng, director of the Agricultural and Rural Legal Research Center, a professor at China Agricultural University: “Article 60, paragraph 3, of the Biosafety Law clearly stipulates that no unit or individual may introduce, release or discard alien species without approval.”
Reporter’s investigation: crocodile gar is still on sale in the Huamu fish and insect market
Why do alligator gars appear in so many places in our country, and often appear in urban areas or parks? Some netizens also said that they have raised alligator gars at home, so is it not allowed to buy and sell alligator gars?
In Nanjing, Jiangsu, the reporter visited a flower, tree, fish and insect market and found that all aquarium shops that sell tropical fish can basically see alligator gars. These one or two-year-old alligator gars are half a meter long, and each sells for about 200 yuan. , Consumers buy home is mainly placed in large aquariums as ornamental fish rearing.
After changing the keywords, the search e-commerce platform can still buy
The reporter tried to search for crocodile gar on an online shopping platform today, but no valid results were found. However, after changing the keywords, it was still found that many merchants were selling live crocodile gar, and the sales volume was still considerable. Experts also said that my country’s laws do not explicitly prohibit the sale of alligator gars. The recently discovered alligator gars in many places may have been caused by some irresponsible buyers who released or discarded them at will.
According to Article 81 of my country’s Biosafety Law, if an alien species is released or discarded without approval, the relevant departments of the people’s government at or above the county level shall, according to the division of responsibilities, order to capture or retrieve the released or discarded alien species within a time limit. A fine of not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 50,000 yuan shall be imposed.
Ren Dapeng, Director of the Agricultural and Rural Legal Research Center, Professor of China Agricultural University: For consumers or residents, if foreign species have been cultivated, according to the law, they are not allowed to be released or discarded in the wild at will, because it will harm our personal life. Serious damage to security and the ecological environment. Therefore, if you really can’t afford it or don’t want to keep it, you need to send it to the relevant departments, and it is never allowed to release or discard it in the wild.
Expert suggestion: dynamic adjustment of the list to strengthen the whole process management
In addition, some experts said that the alligator gar is not currently included in my country’s “List of Invasive Alien Species”. Based on the current monitoring situation in various places, it is recommended to strengthen the dynamic adjustment of the “List of Invasive Alien Species in China” and strengthen the whole-process management of alien species.
Ren Dapeng, Director of the Agricultural and Rural Legal Research Center, Professor of China Agricultural University: If it (alien species) poses a hazard, it will be difficult to repair it in a short time. Therefore, to implement the whole process management, it is necessary to scientifically evaluate the possible invasion risk consequences of alien species. A forward-looking evaluation can provide corresponding scientific basis for the revision of our directory, including the decisions of some related management departments, and suggest that we can speed up the dynamic adjustment of the directory.
CCTV short comment: Ecological synergy is the biggest natural enemy of crocodile gar
The alligator gar from North America is not good. It is difficult for us to accurately review how this ferocious animal landed in China, but it is certainly not ruled out that someone brought some back from abroad. Maybe they just thought it was fun at first, or tried to keep them as pets, but later they were abandoned irresponsibly, and some were scattered in the mountains, rivers, fields and forests in the name of releasing animals. In either case, there may ultimately be serious consequences that the individual simply cannot bear.
Some are bought and sold, some are carried privately, and some are released at will, which shows that the supervision needs to be improved, and it also shows that the public must be more sober. We need to incorporate the knowledge of preventing species invasion into biological education and behavioral education, and at the same time advertise it in a vivid and impactful way. Together with strict law enforcement, we need to form a synergy of the whole society to prevent the invasion of alien species. This combined force is the biggest natural enemy of the alligator gar and other uninvited guests.
[
责编：张璋 ]