Stingrays breeding in Upper Seletar

[barmby]

Stingrays breeding in Upper Seletar
...official: Freshwater stingrays the size of dinner...These barbed Motoro stingrays, native to South America...been no reports of stingray injuries in Upper Seletar...known of the Motoro stingrays only anecdotally...
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapor...ry_506707.html

Taken from The Straits Times

I couldn't pull out the article. You guys might want to check out Friday papers.

[timebomb]

I read the article in the papers and if I remember correctly, the writer put the blame on hobbyists. The claim was the rays which were not native to our waters were released into the reservoirs by hobbyists. I doubt this claim is true. Why, you ask?

Well, for one thing, the Motoro rays are known to be very expensive. Why would any hobbyist release such expensive fish into our reservoirs when he can get quite good prices for them? Rumour has it that the rays were actually released into our reservoirs by the officers from AVA itself. Apparently, they confiscated the fish from someone's house and not knowing what to do with them, they released the fish into our reservoirs.
I've been a civil servant for most of my life and I can tell you, that's a more likely story.

Loh K L

[whale66]

Actually, the price of motoro rays have come down in recent years. The issue will be when it gets too big to keep in normal aquarium tanks, even for a 4ft tank. I think it is possible for hobbyists to release them in reservoirs.

[Ebi]

Think you can read the article here... http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.co...r-seletar.html

[barmby]

Very good response. I was looking for these..

[blackconvoy]

i cant imagine a hobbyist carry a large stingray all the way frm home to upper seletar ..

theres a smarter way to 'get rid' of the fish

[whale66]

problem is hobbyists can't sell to local fish shops as the shops are not allowed to sell them, and it is difficult to sell to fellow ray hobbyists unless they are into breeding for big rays. best option would be to release them.....

though I agree it is challenging to catch a big ray, even from your own tank..... due to their infamous sting......

[vinz]

I heard that now there are hobbyists who prefer to buy rays that have been caught at our reservoir, simply because they have been acclimatised to our waters. I've heard some shops are willing to buy those caught at the reservoirs.

Why would hobbyist release them instead of selling them to LFS? In the past, like some one said, because no shop would buy them. Some hobbyists think it's better to release pets that they no longer want, then killing. Some are just rich enough to not think much of 'throwing away' their pet but not killing it.

[johannes]

this is an article written by NUS researcher on the establishment of these Motoro ray in our waters.

[PKB]

Possible, I myself release my dad 22'' Red Arowana into the resevior many many years ago.

This Aro of ours had very bad temper and would jump and bang on the tank wall. Very heart pain to see the aro hurting himself. Did not want to sell it as it would still be unhappy and bad temper and will not be fair to the new owner, furthermore have some feelings for the fish after so many years of caring for it. So decided to release it into the resevior.

I hope your smarter way of "Get Rid" doesn't mean killing it... :>

i cant imagine a hobbyist carry a large stingray all the way frm home to upper seletar ..

theres a smarter way to 'get rid' of the fish

[eviltrain]

sambal stingray?

[vinz]

Talking about big... just watched 'Monster Fish' (or was it 'River Monsters') on Discovery Channel or NGM Channel this weekend. They were checking out whether 450kg FW rays still exists in the Mekong. They managed to catch 2 giant ones, one about 2 meter diamater and another 1.8 meter diameter. They did not have time to weigh them after tagging them and releasing, but they were still humongous. One of them had a 'bayonet' about 20inches long.

[eviltrain]

yah, i saw that video before. slient deadly swift

[barmby]

I am quite worried. I heard Mekong river is drying up. Damn dam. The dam causing it? Or El Nino? Sigh.

[vinz]

Hmmm... was that an old video on the cable? The conclusion was that the river is healthy enough and FW ray population is healthy. The river is healthy enough for river shrimp to thrive which is the main food source of these rays.

[barmby]

No no.. Not old. I mean Mekong river is drying up in alarming rate.

[wllm33]

better way or not to handle the ray when they go big, it is still not good to release it into the local water ways, whoever they may be.

they are not like the aros which do not have stings. The story that goes around is that in some countries in south america, the natives rather prefer to face a school of pirahnas than to step on the stingray. That's how dangerous stingrays are.

[blackconvoy]

I hope your smarter way of "Get Rid" doesn't mean killing it... :>

OMG !! i kept fishes frm kindergarten till i am 38 years old today.
'mercy killing' is not my style unless the fishes is really sick and CMI.
one way of 'get rid' is to sell away cheaply or just pass to other fellow hobbyist for TLC.thats why my wife always say i am a fish charity centre

regarding about how dangerous stingray is, the keepers should have known better

[PKB]

Glad to hear that...

OMG !! i kept fishes frm kindergarten till i am 38 years old today.
'mercy killing' is not my style unless the fishes is really sick and CMI.
one way of 'get rid' is to sell away cheaply or just pass to other fellow hobbyist for TLC.thats why my wife always say i am a fish charity centre

regarding about how dangerous stingray is, the keepers should have known better

[Shaihulud]

I read the article in the papers and if I remember correctly, the writer put the blame on hobbyists. The claim was the rays which were not native to our waters were released into the reservoirs by hobbyists. I doubt this claim is true. Why, you ask?

Well, for one thing, the Motoro rays are known to be very expensive. Why would any hobbyist release such expensive fish into our reservoirs when he can get quite good prices for them? Rumour has it that the rays were actually released into our reservoirs by the officers from AVA itself. Apparently, they confiscated the fish from someone's house and not knowing what to do with them, they released the fish into our reservoirs.
I've been a civil servant for most of my life and I can tell you, that's a more likely story.

Loh K L

I agree with this post, knowing a little of how the civil service works and AVA. WIld horses can't drag the truth out of the perpetrators in any case. For a breeding population to establish themselves in a large body of water in such a short time requires alot of rays actually, rays aren't especially prolific being live bearers.