Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA Ltd)

10/09/2026

Our third OATA member webinar is coming up at the end of September! Join us to hear some great insights from the panel discussion we’re planning on actionable ideas and strategies for thriving in today’s retail landscape.

Our speakers include Jeremy Gay, whose career spans aquatic retail, consultancy, hobby journalism and podcast host, so he brings valuable insights from both industry and the customer, Aquadistri’s National Sales Manager Alastair Blakeman who has had a long career in pet industry sales so he knows what works, and Rob Peck, of Fareham’s The Coral Centre, who will talk about how he translates lessons learnt from a career in a large corporate retailer into his independent specialist shop.

Put Monday 28 September 2pm in your diary – and if you can’t make it then you’ll find a recording in the Catch Up Online section of the Members’ Area a few days afterwards.

08/09/2026

We’ve noticed an unfortunate trend on social media of content being shared that shows temperate (and sometimes even tropical) fish being kept in outdoor water features, like patio ponds.

This is illegal – and we would ask the industry not to share (and to remove) any content that promotes this behaviour.

The only ornamental fish that can be kept outside (eg in a pond) are:
• common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
• goldfish (Carassius auratus)
• ide or orfe (Leuciscus idus)
• rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, other than anadromous steelhead)

All other freshwater fish can ONLY be kept in an indoor aquarium. That includes temperate fish and it’s why fish like white cloud mountain minnows or Japanese rice fish cannot be kept in patio ponds or garden features outside.

You can find a fuller explanation about this on our website where we also link to the Gov.uk site where this information originates. We have also worked with Fish Health Inspectorate to collate this information. https://ornamentalfish.org/can-i-keep-temperate-freshwater-fish-in-an-outside-pond/

It’s important that industry acts responsibly around this issue. Please share this message and you can point customers who ask to buy these fish for this purpose to our information. Otherwise, we risk losing access to popular freshwater fish because regular, frequent breaches of the regulation will inevitably lead to greater enforcement from the Fish Health Inspectorate, with the ultimate sanction being a ban if the industry is being seen to ignore or regularly flout the law.

04/09/2026

Our Annual Trade Statistics Report 2025 is now available in the Members’ Area of the OATA website! OATA members get free access to the report where you can find the latest trends and insights into the UK’s ornamental aquatic industry.

Among many other things we look at aquatic retail distribution across the UK, great for planning new stores or providing intel to sales forces on the road. This year we also delve into Google Trends for the industry which has given some interesting results! And there’s the usual examination of the UK market and imports for ornamental fish.

If you are not a member you can buy the report as well. Find it on our website.

02/09/2026

We have our third exclusive webinar coming up on Monday 28 September at 2pm so if your business is a member of OATA watch out for that Zoom link!

You won’t want to miss this one because we’ve planned a retail roundtable bringing together people from across the industry to discuss actionable ideas and strategies for thriving in today’s retail landscape.

Our speakers include Jeremy Gay, whose career spans aquatic retail, consultancy, hobby journalism and podcast host, so he brings valuable insights from both industry and the customer, Aquadistri UK LTD’s National Sales Manager Alastair Blakeman who has had a long career in pet industry sales so he knows what works, and Rob Peck, of Fareham’s The Coral Centre, who will talk about how he translates lessons learnt from a career in a large corporate retailer into his independent specialist shop.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it live – we record all the webinars and they’re available within a couple of days in the Catch Up Online section of the Members Area of our website.

27/08/2026

Well isn’t this lovely! Royal Mail Stamps & Collectibles has released its latest stamp collection and it’s celebrating Britain’s favourite companions! It’s very satisfying to see the range of pets chosen to grace the stamps – from dogs, cats and rabbits to birds, reptiles and of course fish! We know that fish are the most populous pet in the UK so of course it’s right they get their own stamp! Well done Royal Mail for honouring our ‘cherished companions’! For the philatelists among us you can buy the collection here https://shop.royalmail.com/pets-stamp-set

25/08/2026

Who loves it when the latest edition lands? 😍😍😍

It's new issue time folks!! Yes, our new, interactive digital edition is now sitting pretty in digital and premium subscribers libraries on the UM website, while legacy digital subscriber copies have been fulfilled through Pocketmags. Glossy print copies should be arriving imminently on doorsteps and at top UK reef stores. If you aren't already onboard, now's the time to join our community and treat yourself to some quality content from contributors from around the world, new... and a little less new!😃 Head over to the website to check out the latest reef news and get the full content lowdown on issue 119! Don't forget, new digital subscribers get immediate access right back to issue 112!

www.ultramarinemagazine.co.uk

20/08/2026

Have you seen our range of caresheets that are free for businesses to use to provide care information to your customers? We think we have the widest range of care information in the pet industry with 60+ caresheets! And we've created QR codes for each one to display on shop tanks - giving customers instant access to good quality information and helping retailers meet animal activity licensing requirements. Check out the full range on our website. https://ornamentalfish.org/what-we-do/advice-information/care-sheets/

17/08/2026

We know that the vast majority of pet shops that sell animals are licensed to sell fish. That’s why we created a training course especially for local authority inspectors.

The course will help inspectors enhance their expertise and practical skills when they visit shops that sell aquatic species and reptiles. Over the two days, the course gives inspectors all the information they need to feel confident to carry out inspections according to the Licensing of Activities involving Animals (LAIA) pet vending guidance.

Our next Practical Training Days run in October and if you think your local authority inspector would benefit then why not let them know about the course?
Find more information here https://ornamentalfish.org/training/training-for-local-authority-council-inspectors/

And don’t forget – if you are an OATA member you should check out June’s member webinar on our website (in the Catch Up Online section of the Members’ Area) where you’ll get some top tips from a licensing inspector to help you with your next inspection!

12/08/2026

Did you know OATA has two City & Guilds-accredited training programmes which are perfect for staff working in the industry? Check out our video which explains more about what the programmes offer. And don't forget - OATA member businesses get a discount on fees! Find out more https://ornamentalfish.org/training/