The Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association is reminding local fish shops to only sell Japanese rice fish or medaka (Oryzias species) for indoor aquariums and to ensure fishkeepers understand they cannot be kept in outdoor ponds or barrels.
The Import of Live Fish Act governs which freshwater species can be imported and sold in the UK and only grants a general licence to sell these fish for indoor aquariums. They cannot be kept outdoors because of their tolerance for low temperatures. This tolerance means if they managed to escape into UK waterways, they could survive and cause an invasive risk.
OATA is using Invasive Species Week 2022 as an opportunity to remind retailers who sell these fish to make it clear to customers they must only be kept in indoor aquariums, and why.
Keeping Japanese rice fish or medaka in any capacity outdoors would breach the terms of the Import of Live Fish Act licence under which they’re traded. Reports of Oryzias species being kept outdoors could result in action being taken by government bodies to ban the import and keeping of these popular fish, which, of course, as fishkeepers, none of us wants to happen.
