National Ornamental Fish
Management Update: April 2014
Freshwater Fish Working Group
In 2011, the Ornamental Fish Management
Implementation Group (OFMIG) was
disbanded, and a decision made for the
activities of the OFMIG to be transferred
to the national Vertebrate Pests
Committee’s Freshwater Fish Working
Group (FFWG).
The FFWG met in February 2014 and
discussed a number of issues relating to
national ornamental fish management
activities (i.e. those previously discussed
under OFMIG).
Following is a brief summary of the
outcomes of the recent FFWG meeting:
National Ornamental Fish Management
update
The FFWG agreed to progress activities of
the former OFMIG including:

finalising the Ornamental Fish Risk
Assessment tool that the South
Australian Research and Development
Institute (SARDI) was contracted to
develop;

applying the Ornamental Fish Risk
Assessment tool to the Grey List of
species;

progressing Tranche 3 as the next
addition of nationally agreed Noxious
Fish species into State/Territory
legislation. First step is to seek
endorsement by the national VPC; and

seek endorsement from the national
VPC for a technical review (for
accuracy with regard to scientific
names) of the fourth Tranche.
Figure 1: Mozambique Mouthbrooder (Oreochromis mossambicus)
are included on the nationally agreed list of noxious species. Photo:
Gunther Schmida
Industry Participation
In March 2014, Mr Josiah Pitt of
Aquarium Industries P/L (Victoria)
accepted an invitation to join FFWG as an
observer and representative of Pet Industry
Association of Australia (PIAA). FFWG
will look to Josiah to provide valuable
insights to the FFWG and feedback to the
ornamental fish stakeholders.
Stakeholder consultation for Tranche 4
is proposed to occur within jurisdictions
once the technical review is complete (as
per similar process undertaken with
Tranche 3).
Next steps
The FFWG agreed that a meeting of the
Technical Working Group (including
membership of the hobby/industry sectors)
will be scheduled for mid 2014 to discuss
initial outcomes of the risk assessment of
Grey List species.
For further information regarding FFWG
activities, please contact Melissa Walker,
Executive Officer FFWG, at
melissa.walker@dpi.nsw.gov.au
For further information on progress of
ornamental fish management activities in
your State or Territory, please see contact
list on Page 2.
Freshwater Fish Working Group: State, territory and stakeholder contacts
If you are interested in following up on the ornamental fish management activities in your State/Territory, please contact your relevant
jurisdictional representative.
Contact
Organisation
Representative
E-mail
NSW & Chair
NSW DPI
Jane Frances
jane.frances@dpi.nsw.gov.au
SA
PIRSA (Biosecurity SA)
John Gilliland
john.gilliland@sa.gov.au
NT
Primary Industries &
Fisheries
Inland Fisheries Service
Murray Barton
murray.barton@nt.gov.au
John Diggle
jdiggle@ifs.tas.gov.au
Environment and
Sustainable Development
Dept of Agriculture
Fisheries and Forestry
Dept of Fisheries
Travis Howson
travis.howson@act.gov.au
Danielle Knutsen
danielle.knutsen@daff.qld.gov.au
Bruce Mackay
bruce.mackay@fish.wa.gov.au
TAS
ACT
QLD
WA
VIC
Stakeholder (Observer)
TBC
Pet Industry Association of
Australia (PIAA)
TBC = representative to be confirmed
Josiah Pitt
JosiahP@aquariumindustries.com.au