Belgium to ban round goldfish bowls as they cause 'stress' to fish

Belgium has planned to ban the round goldfish bowls because of the stress they cause to the fish. “The traditional bowls cause stress to the fish and should be banned on animal welfare ground,” reported The Telegraph quoting Belgian government officials. The proposed ban, which currently applies only to the Brussels-Capital region, reportedly aims to prohibit the sale of such bowls but not their use. Animal welfare minister Bernard Clerfayt told Belgian daily La Capitale that the round jar has an impact on fish stress. “We are not going to start controlling the size of the aquarium in each household,” Clerfayt said, adding that prohibiting the sale of bowls instead would be much more effective. The Animal Welfare Minister further said that fireworks and electric dog collars will also be added to the list of items harmful to the pets. According to documents by the Belgian government, round tanks often have a smaller water surface area than square or rectangular ones and this eventually affects the oxygen absorption capacity of the water. Belgium is known for its stringent laws against animal cruelty. The punishments for the worst offenders range from 15-year imprisonment to a fine of up to 10 million euros. Earlier, French pet care market leader AgroBiothers Laboratoire had decided to stop selling round fish bowls because of their adverse impact on the health of fish. As per a Reuters report, they had stopped selling round fish bowls as they “drive fish mad and kill them quickly”. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.