Recently, the term "alligator eel" has frequently appeared in the public eye.
On July 13, "strange fish" were reported in the Central Park of Ruzhou City, Henan Province, and for 45 days there were nearly drained of the lake in order to catch the aggressive crocodile eel. The Beijing News reporter combed and found that not only Ruzhou, but also in the past month, crocodile eels have also appeared in Beijing, Shandong, Ningxia, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and other places.
According to public information, the alligator eel is the largest of the 7 species of garnet in North America, with a length of up to 3 meters, a large and ferocious fish, the eggs are poisonous, green, adhere to aquatic grasses or gravel, and the fish internal organs and fish eggs are highly toxic.
The Beijing News reporter found that this exotic species can be easily bought from the e-commerce platform or the flower, bird, fish and insect market. Many experts said that there is no clear legal provision in China that prohibits the sale of crocodile eels.
Gu Dangen, an expert in the prevention and control of the invasion of alien species in the national bulk freshwater fish industry technology system, told the Beijing News reporter that most of the crocodile eels as an alien species were smuggled from abroad in the early years, and the live animals we see at present are basically domestic artificial breeding and self-production. He suggested strengthening the supervision of the whole process of introduction, breeding, trade, discarding and release of alien species.
Alligator eel. Courtesy of respondents
Some e-commerce platforms are still selling crocodile eels, with prices ranging from more than ten to hundreds of yuan
The Beijing News previously reported that on July 13, "strange fish" appeared in Yunchan Lake in the Central Park of Ruzhou City, Henan Province. The video shows a large brown fish about 80 centimeters long floating on the surface of the lake. Experts have identified this fish as alligator eels.
Zhou Zhuocheng, deputy director of the China Fisheries Association's Native Aquatic Organisms and Water Ecology Professional Committee, introduced that there is no species native to the mainland, and the crocodile eel mainly lives in North America, often introduced to the mainland due to ornamental needs, this time in the park in the city, there is a high probability of artificial release. As a large predatory fish, the alligator eel has almost no natural enemies, "it has brought ecological harm to some areas, eating small fish and shrimp in those waters." Once it begins to multiply and become an invasive species, the impact on the local ecological environment will be greater. ”
On August 29, a reporter from the Beijing News randomly entered several groups of ornamental fish enthusiasts and found that some ornamental fish lovers said that they had raised crocodile eels, which grew fast, and in the case of a good growth environment, "the body is easy to break the rice", but it is not recommended to raise, "the risk factor is too large." Some enthusiasts also said that they bought a crocodile eel fry on Pinduoduo on August 26, and they could arrive on the 29th, and also showed the order information to reporters.
Crocodile eel fry purchased by breeding enthusiasts on e-commerce platforms. Courtesy of respondents
The Beijing News reporter found that as of the morning of August 30, there are still merchants selling live crocodile eels on Taobao and idle fish. Although entering "alligator eel" in the search bar results are empty, entering a similar sound or type will display the sale information of the fish.
According to the sales pages of many stores, there are crocodile eels with body lengths ranging from ten centimeters to forty centimeters for sale, and the corresponding prices range from more than ten yuan to more than three hundred yuan, and some stores have monthly sales of more than 2,000 orders. Merchants will mark the sales page with the words "for viewing only, no release, release must be chased" and so on.
A store customer service told the Beijing News reporter that for the transportation of crocodile eels, it is generally packed in a bag first, and then wrapped in a foam box for shipment. According to the customer service of many stores, most of the crocodiles sold in the domestic market are domestic artificial breeding, and the breeding places are mostly in Guangzhou.
On the afternoon of August 29, the owner of an ornamental fish shop in Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, told the Beijing News that his crocodile eel was purchased from wholesalers, and all the fish were artificially farmed by wholesalers. The owner of the shop said: "Recently, wholesalers are afraid that this thing will be in trouble and do not sell seedlings casually, and I dare not casually put them out to sell." A number of online and offline stores have said that the crocodile eels on hand are "not much" and will not be purchased after they are sold.
On August 30, a reporter from the Beijing News found that a number of stores on an e-commerce platform were selling crocodile eels. Screenshots of web pages
The law does not stipulate the breeding and sale of foreign species
The Beijing News reporter noted that article 9 of chapter 1 of the Measures for the Administration of Invasive Alien Species (hereinafter referred to as the "Administrative Measures"), which came into effect on August 1, 2022, stipulates that no unit or individual may introduce, release or discard alien species without approval.
The "Administrative Measures" show that whoever introduces, releases or discards an alien species without authorization in violation of regulations shall be punished in accordance with Article 81 of the Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China - where alien species are introduced without authorization, the relevant departments of the people's governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with their duties and division of labor, confiscate the introduced alien species and impose a fine of between 50,000 and 250,000 yuan; Where alien species are released or discarded without authorization, the relevant departments of the people's governments at the county level or above shall, in accordance with their duties and division of labor, order the recovery of released or discarded alien species within a time limit, and impose a fine of between 10,000 and 50,000 yuan; Where a crime is suspected, it is to be transferred to the judicial organs for criminal responsibility in accordance with law.
In addition, article 60 of the Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China also clearly stipulates that no unit or individual may introduce, release or discard alien species without approval.
However, in the Administrative Measures and the Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China, no provisions are made for the breeding and sale of foreign species.
Zhou Zhuocheng said in an interview with the media that because the crocodile eel is not a protected animal that is prohibited from trading, the current law does not explicitly prohibit its sale, which cannot prevent some consumers from releasing and discarding it after purchase.
Gu Dangen told the Beijing News reporter that most of the crocodile eels as an exotic species are smuggled from abroad, and it is difficult to trace the time of its entry into the country, "According to some insiders, there may have been in the 1980s and 1990s, when ornamental fish smuggling was relatively large, and regulatory measures and legal regulations were not perfect." ”
However, Gu Dangen said that with the gradual improvement of the regulatory system, it is almost impossible to enter the country through smuggling. "In recent years, customs has recorded alien species every year and seized illegally introduced ones. Now the crocodile eel has been artificially farmed, and the live animals we see at present are basically domestic self-produced and self-marketed. ”
Literature on artificial breeding has appeared as early as 2006, Gu Dangen said: "The earliest known field records on my side are in 2007, there is a fisherman who likes to fish, caught a crocodile eel from the Pearl River, and after reflecting it to the local management department, the staff said that this is an exotic species and recommended not to release it." He raised it, and it took more than ten years to raise it. ”
According to Gu Dangen," after the "Management Measures", the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will issue a supporting "Directory of Invasive Alien Species under National Key Management", "The "Management Measures" and the list are corresponding, and the Expert Committee for the Prevention and Control of Invasive Alien Species will determine some high-risk invasive alien species and corresponding management measures." Before the list was introduced, the sale in the market was also a blind spot in the law. ”
In 2007, fishermen caught alligator eels from the Pearl River. Courtesy of respondents
Experts called for strengthening the supervision of the whole process of alien species
Gu Dangen told the Beijing News reporter that alien species is only a relative concept, relative to species that do not exist in the local area, "introduced from other countries, introduced from other river basins, can be regarded as alien species." Alien species is a neutral word, can not say that the foreign is bad, corn, sweet potatoes are considered alien species. After the introduction of aquatic alien species, such as ornamental fish, if they are only kept in aquariums and not released into natural waters, they will not invade natural waters. ”
Gu Dangen explains that even if you enter natural waters, you must look at specific species, "Some species, such as tropical fish, cannot survive the winter, or cannot reproduce in natural waters and cannot form natural populations." Only in the wild do natural populations form, form self-replacing populations, and can form harmful species called invasive alien species. Crocodile eels have established natural populations in some areas, and they are fierce carnivorous fish, which is relatively risky. ”
Ren Dapeng, director of the China Agricultural University and The Center for Agricultural and Rural Legal Research, said in an interview with the Beijing News that invasive alien species have damaged the maintenance of biodiversity, the balance of ecosystems and agricultural production, but the degree of harm has certain uncertainties. Therefore, the management of invasive alien species is essentially a risk management, and it is necessary to strengthen management from the perspective of the length and intensity of risk exposure, and the relevant departments should promptly put forward possible risk points on the basis of scientific assessment, analyze the hazard mode, and strengthen the hazard control.
Ren Dapeng also said that it is necessary to strengthen the basic research work on the management of invasive species. According to the Administrative Measures, the concepts of alien species and invasive alien species are different. Alien species do not necessarily cause invasion hazards, but if the introduction of alien species is allowed, when it constitutes a hazard, it may be difficult to prevent and control the harm only through governance and restoration measures, and the whole process management system may also become a formality.
In view of the possible risks of the current sale of crocodile eels, Gu Dangen suggested strengthening the supervision of the whole process of the introduction, breeding, trade, discarding and release of alien species. Jiang Meng, secretary general of the Nanjing Finless Porpoise Aquatic Biological Conservation Association, also said in an interview with the media that the sales management of the aquatic biological pet market needs to be further standardized, which can be sold and which are not suitable for sale, and the relevant competent departments and experts should be asked to re-evaluate, and then introduce clear specifications.
Jiang Meng introduced that at present, Nanjing is carrying out an investigation of invasive aquatic species, and the public can provide relevant clues to the public security department, the conservation association and the competent department for the protection of aquatic organisms in a timely manner after the public security department, the protection association and the competent department of aquatic life protection are found in the natural water body.
Gu Dang'en measured the specimen of the crocodile eel. Courtesy of respondents
Invasive alien species are not the first
A reporter from the Beijing News combed and found that in the past month, in addition to Ruzhou, Henan, crocodile eels have also appeared in Beijing, Shandong, Ningxia, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and other places.
According to media reports, on August 1, residents of a small district in Beijing found a "crocodile" more than half a meter long in the landscape water system, which was confirmed to be crocodile eel after capture, and was suspected to be released by residents. On August 25, the Agricultural and Rural Bureau of Guiping City, Guangxi Province, successfully captured two crocodile eels in the lotus pond of Xishan Scenic Area. On August 26, crocodile eels were suspected to have been found in a small pond in Wuhua District, Kunming, Yunnan Province, and successfully caught after being pumped, and the relevant departments have treated them harmlessly.
The reporter found that many invasive alien species have caused harm to humans and the ecological environment before.
The Beijing News previously reported that in October 2021, "Canada's Yellow Flower" frantically attacked the Caidian District, Jiangxia District and Huangpi District of Wuhan City. Farmland, orchards, woodlands, slopes, and highways can be seen everywhere, and it grows in pieces for two or three kilometers. The Canadian yellow flower is very competitive for survival, and after spreading, it will compete with other plants for water, nutrients and growth space, resulting in the continuous withering of native plants. Subsequently, Wuhan city carried out centralized actions, and with the joint participation of the government and the people, the governance work achieved certain results.
CCTV News reported that on August 15, 2020, a small boy in Xichang City touched a nest of red fire ants in the grove while playing, was attacked and bitten by red fire ants, and gradually fell into a coma. The doctor said, "If you send it a few minutes late, you may not be saved." "Originating in the southern Americas, the red fire ant is an invasive alien species, it is aggressive, it will bite the skin of humans and animals with its large jaw, and during the sting, the red fire ant injects an alkaloid toxin called 'piperidine', which brings burning pain. In the case of allergies, pustules may appear on the skin. The staff of the Xichang Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said that although the number of red fire ants in the ant nest in the area controlled by prevention and control has decreased significantly, it is subject to various factors such as the amazing breeding rate of red fire ants and the lack of natural enemies.
The Beijing News previously reported that in 2019, the grassland night moth invaded the mainland for the first time, with an area of about 16 million mu of insects, and the actual harm area was about 2.4 million mu. In 2020, the grassland moth invaded the mainland again, with a large base and an expanded area. According to the official website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, on July 27, 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held a summary of wheat disease and pest control and the prevention and control of grassland night moth in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, at which it was said that the incidence of grassland night moth in Yunnan, Hunan, Anhui, Sichuan, Guizhou, Henan, Shaanxi and other 7 provinces was heavier than that of the previous year.
2020 Bulletin on the State of China's Ecological Environment. Screenshots of web pages
According to the 2020 Bulletin on the State of China's Ecology and Environment issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, more than 660 invasive alien species have been found on the mainland. Among them, 71 species have caused or have potential threats to natural ecosystems and have been included in the List of Invasive Alien Species in China, and 219 species have been invaded into national nature reserves.
Beijing News reporter Mu Hongju Zhou Huaizong intern Su Lei
Edited by Liu Qian, proofread by Liu Yue