Is it illegal to flush your live fish down the toilet?

Question

I hear people say that it is illegal to flush your fish down the toilet because of the chance that it might actually stay alive and harm the local eco-system... same thing with snails?

Also, at Petco, I see signs that say please do not release your fish to a pond or lake...

The reason to this is? what kind of harm can it do?

I wanna release some fish in a little pond near my house for fun :)

See I wanna know how it harms the local wildlife?

If I put a bunch of platys in a pond and they have a bunch of fry... big deal.

Answer 1

I won't tell. Go ahead and do it. It'll just cause a little thing I call GLOBAL WARMING and your house will burst into flames.

Answer 2

I dont know about where you live? But in Australia it is illegal to release pet fish in ponds, rivers, lakes and such.

This is because:

They could eat and even wipe out the native fish, leaving an unbalanced eco-system.

They will breed and take over. Think the european carp fish that was let go in Australia. It TOOK OVER.

They could rapidly reproduce and eat the food which is needed for the native fish; therefore wiping out the native fish

Flushing fish down the toilet will have the same effects if it survives and makes it into a lake or a river or what not. Plus its not a very nice thing to do

If you dont want the fish anymore take it back to the pet shop, if they wont take it then sell it somewhere. If you cant sell it then give it to someone who wants it and if all that fails then cut the dang things heads off just dont let it get into a lake, pond, river, creek, dam, stream, sewer system. Whatever.

Answer 3

You are absolutely right. It is often illegal because it could be an invasive species that helps drive out native fish species in your area, or cause the local ecosystem to collapse (eg by voraciously feeding on some endangered aquatic plant or smaller organism that survives in one area alone). You may have heard of the snakehead, the zebra mussel and the water hyacinth menaces. On snakeheads infecting Wisconsin waters - http://fishing.about.com/cs/fishfactsinfo/a/aa092703a.htm

I know you're asking a straightforward question to understand the logic of these policies, so what follows doesn't apply to you. But for other folks in a quandary that are actually considering flushing an unwanted fish - Legality and ecological issues aside, the effect of being flushed-down on the fish is horrific - the fish is in sewage and chemicals, blinded, suffocating and burning. You can imagine the stuff that people use to clean bathrooms, and think about what happens when that comes into contact with a fish's unprotected corneas and gill tissue. It could live for hours or days before it finally dies. In many areas, sewage is treated by pumping it with chemicals. In others, it is dumped out into saltwater (which will definitely do bad things to a freshwater fish). In short, the law aside, don't do it. Return it to a store if it's healthy, and if you want to euthanize it, there are much more humane ways - http://loveoffish.com/euthanasia.html

Answer 4

Further to my original comments... I have worked for many years now at one of our countries finest sewage treatment plants. Using thermal processors, we are able to eradicate most feces. The result is basically a clean / clear holding tank, with suprisingly few debris. This is often the home for many stray / flushed fish. However, some do mutate over time, oftimes taking on interesting shapes and beautiful colors, other time grotesque in the extreme. Having a degree in chemical engineering, I now flush my cichlids at will, knowing where they will end up. I will hopefully obtain a strikingly marvelous hybrid as a result, soon enough. Hope this helps...

Answer 5

Animal cruelty is illegal and flushing a fish is cruel. Letting it go to the wild is illegal because it endangers the fish and the environment. Ever hear of invasive species? These are plants and animals that are released into environments they are not native to and they bring disease to the natural species and often do not have any natural enemies so they take over the habitat of the native species and cause them to become extinct. It is a very foolish thing to do and I hope you can find more worthwhile things to do for fun.
Here's another perspective on releasing tank fish into the wild:
Introducing an aquarium fish to the wild, wether native or non-native is a cardinal sin for a fishkeeper. Even wild caught native fish can pick up non-native disease in your tank that you could be unleashing upon the native ecological system. A non-native introduction is even worse. Non-native species compete with native fish for food and habitat, eat native fish eggs, and even destroy habitat all together. Non-native species that have caused significant problems include many species of carp, zebra mussels, the round goby, the spiny water flea, and species of snakeheads just to name a few. The introduction of snakeheads to native waters has caused the ban of ALL species of Channa to be banned from the United States. These beautiful monsters are no longer allowed to be kept in aquariums. There is also a sustained population of goldfish in the mississippi river and although they don't cause much of a problem, they give DNR officials ammo in trying to ban more species of fish that you and I keep. NEVER RELEASE YOUR FISH OR INVERTEBRATES INTO THE WILD. I hate to say it but euthanizing your fish is actually a better option than letting them go. I choose neither. If there is a fish I absolutely cannot keep anymore, I sell it or give it to another fish keeper that will provide a good home. You can also return it to a good local fish store. I hope you will do the same.

Answer 6

sure you can release it into a pond,it must be ok o do seeing as in the zoo they have giant goldfish in ponds.

i think it depends what other wild life life in the pond.if its a natural pond then dont cus it will upset the natural balance and probably swim off down the stream anyway.

if its more of a man made pond you could i suppose.
u cud make ur own pond from plastic and put them in that so u cud watch them grow big nd put in plants nd stuff

Answer 7

It's not illegal to flush fish, but it's not a good way to dispose of them. If the fish is ill, there are better (and faster) ways to put them out of their misery: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-most-humane-way-to-euthanize-a-fish.htm , http://www.petplace.com/fish/euthanasia-in-fish/page1.aspx

It IS ILLEGAL to release pet fish into bodies of water (ponds, lakes, rivers, streams) that are open to another body of water (check your state's fish/wildlife laws if you don't believe me). Backyard ponds like those for goldfish or koi aren't included, since the fish are confined to that location.

Rather than write a lengthy answer on why you shouldn't, I'll just refer you some other info: http://nas.er.usgs.gov/taxgroup/fish/docs/dont_rel.asp
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/news/2002/exotrel.htm
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/fcare2.htm#unwant - I disagree with the suggestion that it's okay to release a wild fish where you caught it - if you've kept it with other fish NOT from that location, there's a pontential of introducing pathogens or parasites the native population can't deal with.

If you want the fish to have a good existance, get a large enough tank to start, or set up a backyard pond (only use fish that can survive you're coldest weather, or plan to bring them inside), or sell or donate them to someone willing to care for them.

Answer 8

Have no idea, but if left out of the water they will soon not be alive so you can flush a dead one down, I guess.

Well some fish...might mess up things when they are in the wrong type of water, etc.

Answer 9

Flushing is just cruel. I'd rather see them go into a pond or back to the store.

Answer 10

I don't know about the legality of it, but it might make a child with a pet goldfish very sad.

Answer 11

Flushing down the toilet isn't the nicest thing to do, but it isn't illegal.

Releasing into a pond can be fun. I did that many years ago and the fish grew to be really large (goldfish).