Stacey Thomson, owner of The Pet Shop in Houston Court, is calling on hobbyists who love their fish to get behind the Hands Off My Hobby campaign.

She said the campaign aims to let MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates (PCCs) know that keeping ornamental fish is just as acceptable as having a dog, cat or other small furry as a pet.

In the run-up to this year’s General Election the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA) is relaunching the #handsoffmyhobby campaign to let all the political parties know that fish make good pets too.

Pressure is mounting for the Johnstone trader, who told The Gazette last week how her business could face closure because of the derelict surroundings at the rear of Houston Square.

Stacey said: “There’s a lot of people who do have animals they shouldn’t but this campaign is trying to protect businesses such as pet shops and others in the pet trade.

“We want to put a stop to the Scottish Government changing the legislation of the exotic pet trade. A ban is not the answer.

“Instead, there needs to be something in place to stop people from buying pets off Facebook sites or in car parks as with this people don’t know who the owner is going to be.

“The hobby of keeping exotic pets is constantly under threat from Animal Rights Campaign groups and this is now coming to Scotland.” The cabinet secretary for rural affairs, food and environment, Richard Lochhead, recently announced that a review for the keeping of exotic pets and the possible introduction of a “positive list”, is under way. This could potentially ban the public from keeping reptiles, amphibians, fish, and exotic mammals.

Trade bodies that represent the ornamental fish and reptile industries will be pressing to meet the Scottish Government to challenge its plans to review the exotic pet trade which, if successful, could stop people keeping ornamental fish and reptiles across the border.

The Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA), which represents businesses in the ornamental aquatic industry, and Reptile and Exotic Pet Trade Association (REPTA) are joining forces to lobby Mr Lochhead — and they’re calling on hobbyists to do the same.

“It seems our concerns behind the Hands Off My Hobby campaign — re-launched just four weeks ago — is coming true already,” said OATA chief executive Keith Davenport.

“We warned that animal campaign groups had this hobby in their sights and it looks as if they have persuaded the Scottish Government to take the lead on limiting the species that people can keep as pets, including ornamental fish and reptiles.

“Of course we agree with concerns about animal welfare, unregulated internet trading and protecting native flora and fauna. It’s disappointing that the Scotland Parliament wants to lead the way in preventing significant numbers of its electorate from keeping the fish and reptiles they love.

“If this news doesn’t make hobbyists and the industry – particularly in Scotland but everywhere in the UK – get behind the Hands Off My Hobby campaign and lobby their MPs and MSPs then nothing will. It might start in Scotland but we think similar reviews of exotic pets could follow in England, Wales and Northern Ireland after the election – when SNP MPs could hold the balance of power in Westminster.” Chris Newman, of Reptile and Exotic Pet Trade Association (REPTA) also commented: “Today we increasingly keep animals for companionship and enjoyment and fewer households require pets to control pests, provide food (rabbits, pigeons etc) or hunt for us (dogs, ferrets). It is imperative that prospective owners should be able to choose from a wide range of species in order to obtain the pet which best fits their lifestyle, budget and circumstances and white or positive lists can only be detrimental by restricting that choice. “The only positive thing about a ‘positive list’ is that it is positively detrimental to the welfare of pets. Rendering animals effectively extinct in captivity when they have been successfully kept for decades (or even centuries) by private keepers cannot possibly benefit welfare or conservation and is only being considered to placate the minority but vocal animal rights industry.” OATA estimates that 250,000 homes in Scotland keep pet fish in aquariums and ponds. On fish alone, curtailing the hobby could mean 1,000 jobs gone and £40 million a year out of the economy in Scotland. And there would be knock-on effect in some of the poorest parts of the world where people rely on income from catching live fish for the aquarium trade.

A spokesman for Hands of My Hobby said: “We need politicians to start to understand that keeping exotic and wild-caught species as pets includes ornamental fish – and the people who keep them are not ‘bad’ people.

“In the run-up to the 2015 General Election, we want politicians to realise ornamental fish-keeping brings a lot of pleasure to people, as well as social, economic and health benefits to the UK and beyond, and is important to their voters – and that means you.

“If we don’t all start to shout ‘Hands Off My Hobby’ to politicians now then these animal campaign groups could be successful in their quest for a future ban that could mean the end to your hobby or livelihood “If these groups succeed with their aims then it would spell the end of the ornamental fish-keeping hobby – and the livelihoods the industry sustains because ‘exotic’ means anything not native to this country. That would leave us with just rudd and tench for our ponds. All aquarium species, including fish, corals and other invertebrates like shrimp and snails, are ‘exotic’ – whether captive bred or not. And if there are no fish there’s no trade or hobby – fish account for only a percentage of sales for the industry but without them there’s no need for tanks, filters, food, medicines, plants etc. It would decimate the ornamental fish-keeping hobby and the livelihoods the hobby supports.”