The deeper you get into this hobby, the more interesting it becomes. If you are familiar with the Arowana fish you might have already heard that they are illegal to own, yet some hobbyists have them. Just look them up on YouTube and you will find all kinds of people showing them off. So what gives?
Are Arowana fish legal to own? The Asian Arowana is illegal to own in the USA. The Silver and Black Arowana native to South America are not illegal to own in the USA. There is some confusion on what variety of Arowana is illegal. The Asian Arowana is also on the endangered species list.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that I am not a lawyer or anyone who can give you legal advice. I do not know the laws where you live. You must do your own research to see what fish are legal to own where you live. Any fish or pet you purchase is solely your responsibility. Reading further in the article means you understand that you (and only you) are responsible for your actions. Do not purchase fish illegally.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the rest of this article. Threatened with extinction, the Asian Arowana is a beautiful fish. In Asian culture, it is the belief that the Arowana is the reincarnation of the dragon (sometimes referred to as the dragon fish). With such a large population throughout the world you can see why the Arowana would be so popular.
Are Arowanas Legal to Own in the USA? [Or anywhere else in the World?]
Asian Arowana fish are illegal to own in the United States. If anyone owns a real Asian Arowana, they are doing so illegally or they have acquired the fish through CITES. Cites stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Cites is an international agreement between governments of different countries. The main focus of Cites is to ensure that international trade in species of wild animals as well as plants will not threaten the survival of that species. To find out more about this agreement visit their site here.
So, if keeping Asian Arowana in the USA is illegal then why do some places like zoos have the fish on display? The fish was most likely confiscated from someone who had the fish illegally or it was sourced from a Cites certified farm. Cites certified farms can sell the Arowana to residents in some countries.
Canada is a country where anyone interested can apply to own an Asian Arowana. I am not totally certain on the process, I do know however that in owning an Arowana legally from a Cites certified farm you will be issued a certificate of ownership. Keep the certificate handy in case someone questions you on how you attained an illegal fish.
What Types of Arowana are Legal to Own?
In the United States especially, you will find silver and black Arowana available at some fish stores. They are commonly mistaken for Asian Arowana by people new to the hobby or uneducated regarding which ones are illegal or legal to own in the USA.
Silver and black Arowana are native to South America and can be found in the Amazon, Oyapock and Essequibo basins. The silver Arowana can be found in more locations than the black species. The silver Arowana can be located in dark water and white water environments, as well as swampy treed areas.
If you are lucky enough to find these varieties of Arowana at your local fish store, you will be simply amazed at how stunning these fish are. If they are housed in a large enough tank, you can watch them swimming freely and gracefully throughout the tank as they would in their natural habitat.
Why are Arowana Fish Endangered?
- This goes back to the 1970’s when the Asian Arowana was eaten as a delicacy. It was more popular to eat this fish than it was to keep it as a pet. The numbers dropped as reproduction of the Asian Arowana happens slowly and not in as great of numbers as other species of fish. Arowana typically don’t have more than twenty eggs at a time and that only happens two to three times a year.
- The Asian Arowana landed on the Cites list for endangered species and the rest is history. As previously mentioned there are approved fish farms trying to breed the Arowanas. Some Asian farms are having great success yet the numbers of these fish in the wild are still too low for them to be taken off the endangered list.
- With the Asian Arowana being listed as endangered, the price for these fish skyrocketed almost immediately. People have paid thousands to own this fish. It’s all about supply and demand. Speaking of supply and demand, when a commodity increases in price, like the Arowana did, there was also an increase in activity in the black market for the fish.
- During the 1980’s, Arowana farms started popping up in Asia to help with this supply and demand problem. Sales rose until the early 2000’s as the market began to become flooded. Still expensive in relation to other aquarium fish prices, the Asian Arowanas price tag levelled out a bit. Fast-forward to 2016 where trades more than tripled since the mid 2000’s, reaching over 200,000 trades. The majority of these sales were to Chinese aquarium owners. These were legal sales recorded by Cites. Source.
South American species of the Arowana are not endangered and can be found all over North America. They have also made their way to other countries in the world as their popularity grows and the world realizes they can purchase a more affordable Arowana. Let’s face it, only Asian Arowana fanatics will be able to tell the difference of that fish and a silver Arowana.
Most people will just be in amazement at the elegant presence and powerful look of this large fish swimming gracefully through the tank.
Are Arowana Fish Legal to Own (Conclusion)
So, the takeaways in this article are that the Asian variety of Arowana are on the endangered species list and illegal to own. There are ways to own an Asian Arowana in some countries if it is legally allowed. You must purchase the fish from a Cite’s certified and approved fish farm. You will receive documentation regarding the fish you purchased. The fish will have an identification module of some sort imbedded under its scales. This will match it to your documents.
There are other types of Arowana available that are not illegal to own or endangered. Such as the silver and black species. The black species typically only stays black while it is young then as it gets older somewhat resembles the silver Arowana. These fish are also much cheaper to purchase than the Asian variety.
When you see this fish gliding through the water so gracefully, you can see why the Asian culture calls the Arowana the dragon fish. It looks so intimidating and acts like it doesn’t have a care in the world just as you would expect from a dragon flying through the sky.
Would you be happy with a silver Arowana or would you feel like you need to own an Asian Arowana instead? Silver Arowana are just as beautiful in my opinion, however, you might only be happy with the best of the best.
If you are considering owing an Arowana you need a great aquarium.
Check out my recommended aquariums page for some of my recommendations.
How expensive are Arowana? You probably want to know how much you might end up paying before you really commit to this. Luckily I created this article How Expensive are Arowana?
