# Ticketed/Fined



## kylemac86 (Sep 26, 2005)

I live in an illegal state and currently own piranhas. I was just wondering if any of you have been or know of someone who has been ticketed or fined for owning piranhas. It seems like such a stupid thing to be fined for. I mean, I can legally own many toxic chemicals but it is illegal to dump them into the gutter. Why can't it be the same for piranhas; legal to own but illegal to dump. Anyways, I was just curious.


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## slckr69 (Feb 21, 2004)

nah but i think they kill ur fish too right in front of you.

luckily i live in MI.


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## the_skdster (Aug 15, 2006)

And this is how Canada Pwned the US.:laugh:











slckr69 said:


> nah but i think they kill ur fish too right in front of you.
> 
> luckily i live in MI.


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## slckr69 (Feb 21, 2004)

the_skdster said:


> And this is how Canada Pwned the US.:laugh:


??? what you mean?


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## the_skdster (Aug 15, 2006)

slckr69 said:


> And this is how Canada Pwned the US.:laugh:


??? what you mean?
[/quote]
P's are completely legal everywhere in Canada.


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## Apott05 (Jul 19, 2005)

the_skdster said:


> And this is how Canada Pwned the US.:laugh:


??? what you mean?
[/quote]
P's are completely legal everywhere in Canada.








[/quote]

yea well to bad u cant find p's everywhere in canada. So i guess the U.S has u there saying u can go to almost any state and find a piranha somewhere. And yes that also includes the illegal ones. You just gotta do your homework. Nice try tho.


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## slckr69 (Feb 21, 2004)

??? thats cuz canada is sooo cold none can survive..

but i live in michigan so i dont care...


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## kylemac86 (Sep 26, 2005)

Canada is a frigid tundra, of course piranhas are legal.


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## the_skdster (Aug 15, 2006)

Apott05 said:


> And this is how Canada Pwned the US.:laugh:


??? what you mean?
[/quote]
P's are completely legal everywhere in Canada. 








[/quote]

yea well to bad u cant find p's everywhere in canada. So i guess the U.S has u there saying u can go to almost any state and find a piranha somewhere. And yes that also includes the illegal ones. You just gotta do your homework. Nice try tho.
[/quote]
?
What that supposed to mean? Every other LFS in Canada stocks Piranha.
And for those out of touch, thats why the WWW was invented.








Screw [email protected]! Canada Pwns on its own!


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## kylemac86 (Sep 26, 2005)

skdster, you may have actually discovered the only good thing about Canada.


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## SangreRoja (Feb 18, 2006)

Regardless of whats illegal or legal There's bigger problems with drugs and wars.


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## the_skdster (Aug 15, 2006)

Sangre_Roja said:


> Regardless of whats illegal or legal There's bigger problems with drugs and wars.


Not in Canada.


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## kylemac86 (Sep 26, 2005)

Sangre_Roja said:


> Regardless of whats illegal or legal There's bigger problems with drugs and wars.


Agreed.

And to add to my question. If the fish and game come to my house, don't they need to get a warrant to enter my home? Couldn't I just net out my P's and put them in a smaller tank under the house or something, lol.


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## pottsburg (Aug 30, 2006)

Unless you have a bitch and she turns into a psycho ex girlfriend, you have nothing to worry about.


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

slckr69 said:


> ??? thats cuz canada is sooo cold none can survive..
> 
> but i live in michigan so i dont care...


Michigan is a frozen tundra as well....lol
When i moved here for school they told me it "rarely" snowed here in lansing.....BS

Lol...i think the only thing you have to worry about are the legal implications....like when someone gets hurt and they sue you = screwed


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## hitler (Jun 4, 2006)

100 dollar fine in my state.. if caught transporting or selling a class 3 felony


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## Coldfire (Aug 20, 2003)

hitler said:


> 100 dollar fine in my state.. *if caught transporting or selling a class 3 felony*


Damn, what state?


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## bigman8258 (Aug 23, 2004)

i am in seattle wa. my good friend is a police officer and he feeds my fish.


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## Coldfire (Aug 20, 2003)

bigman8258 said:


> i am in seattle wa. *my good friend is a police officer and he feeds my fish*.


That works well for you!


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

I'm in Virginia, which is a hop, skip and a jump away from MD - where I purchased my Ps. Never heard of a fine.

As far as Canada goes, I love what IS legal about the country, but it's not as if things are "unobtainable" ANYWHERE in the U.S. The ONLY reason P's are legal everywhere in Canada is because of the climate... IF you look at a chart of the legal/illegal states, you would see the majority of illegal states are southern - with WARMER climates - which would allow the species to survive and thrive. They're simply at a higher risk if P's are released in the wild.

It's only common sense that dictates the legality in the states.


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

Someone on here got caught through a craigs list deal, cant remember his user name.

I honestly think most states or areas would just be a fine and fish confiscated. Now if you live in an illegal area, and sell fish regularely, you might have problems....


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## badman (Oct 29, 2006)

...plain and simple its better to live in a country where things that make problems like guns, explosives and chemicals they have strict restrictions on them yet the drugs and war dont really have a problem with because our government doesnt have the attention span of a 6 week old puppy! ANYWAY.... in Canada we rock and we can get Piranhas anywhere its just nice to see people try to insult this country just because we can have something that some people cant...so the easiest thing to do is make fun...its sad really....anyway.....Happy Piranha Hunting!!!!


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## hitler (Jun 4, 2006)

Coldfire said:


> 100 dollar fine in my state.. *if caught transporting or selling a class 3 felony*


Damn, what state?
[/quote]

AZ.. I did a research on this topic in my college english class... I looked in the state constitution, if anyone else lives in a illegal state all they have to do is look up their state constitution.


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## the_skdster (Aug 15, 2006)

badman said:


> 100 dollar fine in my state.. *if caught transporting or selling a class 3 felony*


Damn, what state?
[/quote]

AZ.. I did a research on this topic in my college english class... I looked in the state constitution, if anyone else lives in a illegal state all they have to do is look up their state constitution.
[/quote]
Damn. Thats harsh.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

the_skdster said:


> ...plain and simple its better to live in a country where things that make problems like guns, explosives and chemicals they have strict restrictions on them yet the drugs and war dont really have a problem with because our government doesnt have the attention span of a 6 week old puppy! ANYWAY.... in Canada we rock and we can get Piranhas anywhere its just nice to see people try to insult this country just because we can have something that some people cant...so the easiest thing to do is make fun...its sad really....anyway.....Happy Piranha Hunting!!!!


Canada also has a higher crime rate then the US.


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

BlackSunshine said:


> ...plain and simple its better to live in a country where things that make problems like guns, explosives and chemicals they have strict restrictions on them yet the drugs and war dont really have a problem with because our government doesnt have the attention span of a 6 week old puppy! ANYWAY.... in Canada we rock and we can get Piranhas anywhere its just nice to see people try to insult this country just because we can have something that some people cant...so the easiest thing to do is make fun...its sad really....anyway.....Happy Piranha Hunting!!!!


Canada also has a higher crime rate then the US.
[/quote]

This is retarded....the MAIN reason that P's are illegal in the states is because of the threat of introduction into the wild therefore resulting in disruption of the local environmental balance that exists.
If you look at which states consider P's illegal, you will see that they are mostly southern states with climate and water conditions in which P's could potentially thrive in and therefore cause damage.

Enough of this bullsh*t that "my country is cooler than yours because we allow P's".....its simple science and in my opinion a good idea to protect the ecological balance in this country.

If canada HAD any areas in which P's could actually survive in, then im almost certain that they would have the same laws.


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## SangreRoja (Feb 18, 2006)

badman said:


> ...plain and simple its better to live in a country where things that make problems like guns, explosives and chemicals they have strict restrictions on them yet the drugs and war dont really have a problem with because our government doesnt have the attention span of a 6 week old puppy! ANYWAY.... in Canada we rock and we can get Piranhas anywhere its just nice to see people try to insult this country just because we can have something that some people cant...so the easiest thing to do is make fun...its sad really....anyway.....Happy Piranha Hunting!!!!


I don't think CANADA has in attention span at all.


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

in here, i've heard it'll cost you about $1700 just for bail...


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## kylemac86 (Sep 26, 2005)

Whether or not Canda sucks was not my question. I pretty much asked the question with the assumption that hardly anyone, if anyone, has been fined for owning P's and that the laws exist mostly to discourage ownership, and obviously protect the environment. But owning a Piranha does not hurt the environment, so, I don't get it. Anyways, I'd still like to hear from some one who has been or knows someone who has been fined.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

flashover00 said:


> Whether or not Canda sucks was not my question. I pretty much asked the question with the assumption that hardly anyone, if anyone, has been fined for owning P's and that the laws exist mostly to discourage ownership, and obviously protect the environment. But owning a Piranha does not hurt the environment, so, I don't get it. Anyways, I'd still like to hear from some one who has been or knows someone who has been fined.


Now on a more serious note. The sad truth is that educated and responsible fish owners are the minority of the hobby. And altho you can for sure speak for yourself in this case you can't really speak to the education or responsiblies of others. 
Its not as if only P's are outlawed. In some states some cichlids are even outlawed. in other states you cannot get a bowfin (even tho that is a native US fish) To put it simply. If at one point the concern wasen't justified in some way shape or form they would not have been made illegal. If they did not pose a real enviromental threat then it wouldn't be an issue. But because there are so many irresponsible pet owners they have screwed it up for the rest of us that know better. 
I mean if there wasen't such an issue why is it you can go to FL and fish for oscars?


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

lol..sorry Bsunshine....i know we're on the same side ha ha

I dont know of anyone that has been fined for keeping P's....roll the dice...and dont tell anyone what types of fish you are keeping and im sure you will have no worries


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## Natt King Shoal (Aug 7, 2004)

Most officers probably wouldn't know what they are looking at any ways. Just tell them its a Pacu or Oscar in the unlikely chance you were ever caught.


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## Leasure1 (Jul 24, 2006)

Glad I live in a legal state.


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## Mattones (Jul 9, 2006)

if they come to your door. and come in and know they are Piranha's and you know youur going to jail for it for some reason just act all Gittery and begin to climb into the tank and see what happens next


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

If they come to your door without a warrent tell them to go f*ck themselves.

And I can assure you that a judge will not give them a warrent based on internet hearsay that you MIGHT own a single piranha.

Now if you are activly seeking them out or more so if you are selling them. thats a different story. but they would first set up a buy to make sure you are legit and really selling. then they would have probable cause and justification to get that warrent and then they can kick your door down. and you are fubar.


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

I'm kind of curious about this too. I've seen shows on animal planet where people were caught with exotics they weren't supposed to have (snakes and pitbulls) and I think they got like $500 fine per animal.

with fish I bet some cops wouldn't really care. Kinda like an open container of alcahol, some cops screw you every way they can, and some just dump it out and give you a warning. But I could be way off on that.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Did you just say pitbulls?


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

Yea I know pitbulls aren't exotic but they were illigal in the city the show was filmed.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

kylemac86 said:


> Whether or not Canda sucks was not my question. I pretty much asked the question with the assumption that hardly anyone, if anyone, has been fined for owning P's and that the laws exist mostly to discourage ownership, and obviously protect the environment. *But owning a Piranha does not hurt the environment, so, I don't get it.* Anyways, I'd still like to hear from some one who has been or knows someone who has been fined.


It is ownership of Piranha by unscrupulous owners that poses a problem......I know BS allready went here but I felt strong need to say something as well.

The multitude of fish caught every year in states water ways that are not native to the country let alone the state are flat alarming and it is a miracle more species are not outlawed. You have to realize how many people just "dump" their unwanted animals.....let alone potential accidental release...lets say that you have a great home aquarium and your animal "does not hurt the environment".....now lets say that you lived in New Orleans or Slidell pre Katrina......and the storm and flooding released your fish ( I know waaaay out there but I am just adding food for thought) which now pose a VERY serious problem......

The laws are there to protect native eco-systems, and sometimes those scares are real, sometimes percieved greater than actually are....but irresponsible animal ownership is a root problem.....an educated dedicated hobby organized and structured might be able to get permit systems in place, etc....but until hobbyists can get together behind their hobby without their personal crap getting in the way that will never happen....


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## JustinRice (Feb 24, 2005)

CrocKeeper said:


> Whether or not Canda sucks was not my question. I pretty much asked the question with the assumption that hardly anyone, if anyone, has been fined for owning P's and that the laws exist mostly to discourage ownership, and obviously protect the environment. *But owning a Piranha does not hurt the environment, so, I don't get it.* Anyways, I'd still like to hear from some one who has been or knows someone who has been fined.


It is ownership of Piranha by unscrupulous owners that poses a problem......I know BS allready went here but I felt strong need to say something as well.

The multitude of fish caught every year in states water ways that are not native to the country let alone the state are flat alarming and it is a miracle more species are not outlawed. You have to realize how many people just "dump" their unwanted animals.....let alone potential accidental release...lets say that you have a great home aquarium and your animal "does not hurt the environment".....now lets say that you lived in New Orleans or Slidell pre Katrina......and the storm and flooding released your fish ( I know waaaay out there but I am just adding food for thought) which now pose a VERY serious problem......

The laws are there to protect native eco-systems, and sometimes those scares are real, sometimes percieved greater than actually are....but irresponsible animal ownership is a root problem.....an educated dedicated hobby organized and structured might be able to get permit systems in place, etc....but until hobbyists can get together behind their hobby without their personal crap getting in the way that will never happen....
[/quote]






































Very Good Arguement!!! I agree completely.

-Justin


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## kylemac86 (Sep 26, 2005)

CrocKeeper said:


> .....let alone potential accidental release...


What about the zoos; lions and tigers and ... well, yeah. Doesn't sound like too much fun. Maybe we should get rid of zoos because those animals could get out. And no more dogs either, or cats for that matter. Stupid.


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## pottsburg (Aug 30, 2006)

You know, people on here FREAK when somebody just dumps their new fish into a tank. These fish are tough but how often is the river going to be an ideal temperature, or in my case, it's very brackish-almost saltwater now. The fish would have no chance. The winter would definately kill it and I live in FL, the water here now is too cold to wakeboard without a wetsuit and I wore shorts yesterday.


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## JustinRice (Feb 24, 2005)

But its much easier to apprehend a lion then it is to clean out all the rivers and ponds. Lions are on land and very easily spoted. Whereas no one really knows how many fish are in a river or what kind till they are caught.

-Justin


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

A single lion or elephant from the zoo would be a totally different thing then an unknown fish. If a lion or elephant were to get out, immediatly everyone would know and there would be a huge search to reobtain. As well ZOOs have permits that allow the captivity of their animals. 
and of couse as stated you will see a elephant running down a city street a lot quicker then a fish in a river. And of course theres teh fact that a normal person isn't going to own a Lion or a elephant where as any dipshit with a few gallons of water could potentially own a fish and go unnoticed.

Potts- As to watertemps. acclimation if very important with captive bred fish and poorly bred fish. however alot of the fish we keep are wild caught and have a much higher range of tolerance. Rivers are allways at Ideal temps for these fish. 
think about P's in the wild. durring the dry months they can survive temps in the 90's without food for a month in poorly oxigenated waters. 
That should give you an idea of how hearty these fish can be. So accidental release altho not likley is possible and the possiblity of them surviving is pretty high.


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## Drullexx (Oct 26, 2006)

Well, first off..

Debating which country is the "best" is kind of silly, especially on a piranha forum. I live in Canada, and I love it here. I can honestly say that I think Canada is "better" than the US, but thats my own opinion. I've been to the US, and I do not like it at all. There really is no way to claim one country is above the other though, for the most part. It all comes down to personal preference. Well, except some things that can be measured with statistics. Example - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Canada#United_States

The crime rate in Canada is nowhere even close to that of the US. But, we have a much smaller population. Also, being able to legally own firearms as you please, isn't necessarily a good thing. Just means guns are that much more available for some 16 year old idiot to get hold of and kill some people.

So yeah, back on topic here.

Ive never heard of anyone getting fined/arrested for owning Piranhas. Infact, I've never actually even known anyone personally to OWN Piranhas heh. They're widely available here, not really sure why whomever it was claimed they weren't. I live in a city with just over a million people, which isn't huge, but as another example, my local aquarium gets all kinds in, all the time. They just got a large Cariba in, and they're always stocked with red bellies.

I can understand the laws about prohibiting them in some states though, for the exact reasons specified in recent posts.

Is there any type of "neutering" available for fish, that might make them legal? I think that would be acceptable, if so.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

kylemac86 said:


> .....let alone potential accidental release...


What about the zoos; lions and tigers and ... well, yeah. Doesn't sound like too much fun. Maybe we should get rid of zoos because those animals could get out. And no more dogs either, or cats for that matter. Stupid.








[/quote]

Seriously......do you know how much money was spent by the AZA moving animals out of Louisina prior to the storm hitting? Where you even aware of those actions..of course not by your typed words here......and it is just that type of ignorance that keeps potential problem species illegal.....

I understand you are frustrated, but if you are going to use an example....please do your homework of what happened with that example first......

*edited to add: That sounded more harshly than I intended........ignorance in a subject is reversible mind you.....but it requires that you learn about that subject not just assume things*


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## kylemac86 (Sep 26, 2005)

CrocKeeper said:


> .....let alone potential accidental release...


What about the zoos; lions and tigers and ... well, yeah. Doesn't sound like too much fun. Maybe we should get rid of zoos because those animals could get out. And no more dogs either, or cats for that matter. Stupid.








[/quote]

Seriously......do you know how much money was spent by the AZA moving animals out of Louisina prior to the storm hitting? Where you even aware of those actions..of course not by your typed words here......and it is just that type of ignorance that keeps potential problem species illegal.....

I understand you are frustrated, but if you are going to use an example....please do your homework of what happened with that example first......

*edited to add: That sounded more harshly than I intended........ignorance in a subject is reversible mind you.....but it requires that you learn about that subject not just assume things*
[/quote]

I'm not sure how to respond. In reference to my example, the zoo, I'd like to try again. Scenario 1: Three piranhas were "accidentally" released by a storm, earthquake, etc. and scenario 2: Three lions were "accidentally" released by a storm, earthquake, etc. I think scenario two poses a MUCH greater danger. While in scenario 1 the eco-system is at risk, scenario 2 involves lives being at risk. Something like that, I can't seem to get my point across. Either way, hmm, nevermind, I'm done. But on a side note, since I'm to lazy, does anyone have a link with info. about a lake/river being infested with piranhas? Obviously outside of S. America.

Oh yeah, and what did I assume? You said I should "learn about the subject, not just assume things." I can't find where I made an assumption. Just wondering.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

I think ultimatly a lion would still bea easier to deal with and even if it were legal theres not alot of people that could or would keep a pet lion anyways as compared to how many people would keep Ps. And the reality is in some places even here in america there are wild animals that are just as bad as lions. Especially in that area you have gators. 
So altho yeah its true a roaming lion may be worse then a single roaming P. it would still be infinitly easier to contain then if say 100,000 people in that area owned P's and those got released into those waters where they can establish themselves.


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

> does anyone have a link with info. about a lake/river being infested with piranhas? Obviously outside of S. America.
> 
> 
> > Dude...prevention of a potentially invasive species doesnt mean straight up infestation.


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## kylemac86 (Sep 26, 2005)

flashover00 said:


> Dude...prevention of a potentially invasive species doesnt mean straight up infestation.


Yeah, sorry, infestation wasn't the right word. Rephrased; Any one have a link to info about a lake/river in which the native eco-system was damaged/harmed by the introduction of Piranhas.


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

BEST I COULD DO


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