Bill would allow hunting and fishing of invasive alien species

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would allow hunting and fishing, in all modalities, of invasive alien species already present in the natural environment before 2007, but only within the areas they occupied back then. Outside those areas, their use would be banned, to discourage illegal releases.
2. It creates a new category, the naturalized species: an exotic species legally introduced before Law 42/2007, with no significant effects on the natural environment and with social or economic interest. the State Commission could approve a list of these species and suspend their cataloging or promote their removal from the catalog in exceptional cases of public interest.
3. The autonomous communities could allow releases of rainbow trout in waters where they were already done before 2007, but only with captive-bred, sterile specimens unable to reproduce, to ease fishing pressure on the common trout.
4. The use of exotic species in aquaculture, including those listed as invasive, would be governed by Council Regulation 708/2007. New definitions are also added, such as zoogenetic resources, naturalized species and release.
5. Unauthorized import of non-native species and unauthorized release into the natural environment of native or non-native species, or of domestic animals, would become offenses, and the criteria for classifying them as very serious, serious or minor would be adjusted.
6. The strategies for controlling or eradicating species in the catalog must be approved and published within five years, with government resources co-funded through the Fund for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity. In the meantime, the autonomous communities could authorize hunting and fishing of these species in delimited zones.

Who it affects

• Hunters and sport fishers: They could hunt and fish invasive species within the areas they occupied before 2007, but not outside them.
• Autonomous communities: They gain a framework to delimit areas, authorize rainbow trout releases and manage these species in their territory.
• Rural municipalities and the tourism sector: The aim is to recover the hunting and fishing activities that bring economy and jobs to their areas.
• Aquaculture companies and businesses using listed species: Their activity would be governed by Regulation 708/2007, giving legal certainty to their regime.
• Any person or organization: They could request the inclusion or exclusion of a species in the catalog, with a scientific argument.

Words worth knowing

Especie exótica invasora (invasive alien species)

A species introduced by humans outside its natural range that threatens the native species, habitats or ecosystems of the area.

Especie alóctona (non-native species)

A species that is not native to the place where it is found.

Catalogación (cataloging)

Including a species in the Spanish Catalog of Invasive Alien Species, which brings prohibitions such as owning it or trading it.

Acuicultura (aquaculture)

The farming of aquatic animals and plants, such as fish, for consumption or other uses.

Recursos zoogenéticos (zoogenetic resources)

Animal species used or that can be used to produce food, agriculture or livestock.

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