Non-Native Animal Species in Japan

A very interesting news report about measures being taken to prevent non-native animal species from damaging Japanese ecosystems:

The Kobe City Suma Marine Aquarium recently started offering to take care of unwanted pet turtles. In just a month and a half, some 800 turtles have been collected. Red-eared sliders are a cheap pet that look cute when they’re babies, but they eat a lot and grow fast. The Aquarium is offering free entry to any customers who bring Black Bass: the alien species of fish will be turned into food for an alien species of turtle.
Some people have been trying to promote non-native species as a source of food. Two examples are making Bluegill burgers and selling Crawfish dishes at French restaurants.
So many pet fish (Piranha, Guppy, etc.) have been dumped into the Tokyo’s Tama River that some now call it the “Tamazon.” To deal with the problem, a designated area has been set up that allows the dumping of unwanted pets into tanks instead of the river. Fish and turtles are kept in the tanks until new owners can be found. [For an entire report focusing on this, check out this video.]

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