Aquarium and Fish Tank Animals Shop) Rules, 2017
Rule:
*No aquarium shall function without a certificate of registration from the State Animal Welfare Board.
*The registration shall be subject to the following conditions
• It shall be for a period not more than two years
• The fee for application for registration under rule 5 will be Rs 5,000, to be paid through demand draft or postal order in favour of the “State Animal Welfare Board” of the state concerned.
*Veterinary and infrastructure facilities – Every aquarium shall (a) have a fisheries veterinarian or a fisheries expert employed full time for the purpose of overseeing the health care of all the fish tank animals in its collection; (b) have appropriate facilities for a treatment room.
*No aquarium shall be allowed in temporary stalls in fairs or markets or exhibitions in which permanent facilities are lacking.
*Every aquarium shall take adequate care to locate and design all pucca buildings, including the visitor facilities, in such a manner that the fish tank animal display area is not masked and the cleanliness and the hygiene of the aquarium is not affected.
*Fish tanks or aquariums are not placed in the following locations, namely: (i) in direct sunlight or near radiators; (ii) in a place where there is always light, or where it is always dark; (iii) in a place where rainwater can enter the tank.
*The master plan referred to in sub-rules (1) and (2) shall inter alia include all-round development of the aquarium for a period of 10 years and which shall be revised every five years along with detailed layout plan prepared on the basis of the theme adopted by the aquarium indicating fish tank animal display area, visitor facilities, support infrastructure for fish tank animal upkeep and health care, buildings for administration and maintenance unit.
*Every aquarium, as a safe-guard against access to unregulated visitors and fish tank animals being subject to provocation and pilferage, shall design appropriate barrier along the fish tanks and shall have on display appropriate signage discouraging visitors from approaching the fish tanks at close proximity or from tapping or touching the fish tank.
*Maintenance of records and inventory – (1) Every aquarium shall maintain a record of the acquisitions, deaths and disposals of each species of fish in its collection in the manner and in the format determined by the State Animal Welfare Board.
*No aquarium or fish shop shall display or sell – (a) bowls for keeping fish tank animals; or (b) fish tanks with a capacity of less than 13 gallons or 60 litres of water for keeping fish tank animals.
*Every aquarium and fish shop shall ensure that the quality of the water in the fish tanks is maintained at all times and is within the permitted range of salinity, pH, hardness and temperature specified so as to meet the health and welfare needs of the fish tank animals.
*It is prohibited to keep or sell the following species, namely… (a list of the species and group banned, along with their common and scientific names, follow)
46 varieties of Butterfly fish; 16 types of Angel fish; three types of File and Trigger fish; four types of Damsel fish; four types of Clown fish; two types of Bat fish; five types of eels (eels are being exported to foreign countries as edible fish); eight types of Wrasses, Blennies, Dragonettes, Gobies and Parrot fish; four types of Anthias, Groupers and Grunts; six types of Tang; nine types of Lionfish, Stone fish and Pipe fish; four types of Box fish, Razor fish and Mantis shrimp; all octopus species (octopus is also an edible item) and jelly fish.
AquariumandFishTankAnimalsShop rule
