Aquarium fish pose a risk to Tasmania’s freshwater environment. We have recently reviewed the Permissible Imports List – Freshwater Aquarium Fish. To make sure freshwater aquarium fish are safe to import we check them against a range of criteria. The criteria include:

• Would the fish establish a population in the wild if they escaped?
• What effect would have if they did establish.

The list helps Biosecurity Tasmania make sure all freshwater aquarium fish coming into Tasmania are not going to harm our unique environment.

The Inland Fisheries Service regulate the aquarium industry through registering businesses as Fish Dealers. Only Registered Fish Dealers can import or sell aquarium fish. The fish must be on the Permissible Imports List – Freshwater Aquarium Fish.

As we developed the Permissible Imports List – Freshwater Aquarium Fish, we talked with industry. The list contains all fish that Registered Fish Dealers can import to Tasmania. There are also new fish included on the list that were requested by the industry and have passed the risk assessment.

The new Permissible Imports List - Freshwater Aquarium Fish is available on the IFS website along with all the information you need to know https://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/about/freshwater-aquarium-fish