Collecting fish in hawaii for personal tank

[dontbuyxenia]

Hey everyone, I came across this page on the Hawaii DNR page and am curious as to how realistic it would be to go to hawaii and collect fish for your tank. It seems that you would be able to go out, maybe with a charter or something, catch a few yellow tangs and fly home and get your moneys worth. Am I missing something here? Thanks!

FAQ’s

Do I need to get a license or permit to fish in the ocean? There is no marine recreational fishing license in Hawai‘i for residents, and although one is in the works for visitors it hasn’t been implemented yet. So you don’t need to worry about that as long as you don’t sell your catch. […]

dlnr.hawaii.gov

 

[blaxsun]

Nope. There was another guy that was going to do something similar (if you search on R2R you might find the other thread).

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

Recreational fishing is a lot different than collecting Yellow Tangs lol. Yeah, that's a big no.

 

[ssdawood]

Recreational fishing is a lot different than collecting Yellow Tangs lol. Yeah, that's a big no.

Hey man on this page they say we are allowed to collect for personal use. Also ship it as long as all regulations are followed.
Confused now.

FAQ’s

Do I need to get a license or permit to fish in the ocean? There is no marine recreational fishing license in Hawai‘i for residents, and although one is in the works for visitors it hasn’t been implemented yet. So you don’t need to worry about that as long as you don’t sell your catch. […]

dlnr.hawaii.gov

 

[damsels are not mean]

Yeah that page seems pretty clear to me. I didn't know this!

 

[Karen00]

Does the page have a date when it was last updated? It might be out of date. I read there is a ban on tangs, etc but maybe that applies to commercial capture. I think you're best to contact them. It would be horrible to have them confiscated. I don't know if they release them back into the wild.

 

[131696]

Illegal to take anything out of water unless you got a permit and I think right now they not giving permits for no one that wants to take fish or coral out for aquariums in Hawaii

 

[Chrisv.]

Illegal to take anything out of water unless you got a permit and I think right now they not giving permits for no one that wants to take fish or coral out for aquariums in Hawaii

Pretty sure that’s not true.

 

[ssdawood]

Personal use is allowed. If I can catch fish and eat why can't I catch the same fish and keep it alive to eat later.
Lol

Joking. I am confused. Still have a feeling it's open for personal use.

 

[Chrisv.]

OP, did you walk any further down this path?

 

[AydenLincoln]

It depends it’s banned in certain places in Hawaii and just because you can take it does not mean you can export/import it. And it may be confiscated by TSA/your home state because laws vary.

 

[Chrisv.]

It depends it’s banned in certain places in Hawaii and just because you can take it does not mean you can export/import it. And it may be confiscated by TSA/your home state because laws vary.

Do you have first hand experience with this?

 

[AydenLincoln]

Do you have first hand experience with this?

No but I was reading about local laws and have heard stories before of things like this being confiscated by TSA/USDA. You should learn more about your local laws before you do it.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

It depends it’s banned in certain places in Hawaii and just because you can take it does not mean you can export/import it. And it may be confiscated by TSA/your home state because laws vary.

TSA is actually pretty chill with transporting fish and coral. Apparently it's not too uncommon to transport fish on planes. I ask every time and they say it's not uncommon.

 

[AydenLincoln]

TSA is actually pretty chill with transporting fish and coral. Apparently it's not too uncommon to transport fish on planes. I ask every time and they say it's not uncommon.

I edited it. I know they have to be on carry-on bags but it could also be confiscated by the USDA.

 

[Jaybeastin]

We’ll only know until you try it. Go for it

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I edited it. I know they have to be on carry-on bags but it could also be confiscated by the USDA.

I've never had a box of live coral touch from more than 20 seconds at a checkpoint, Much less by a USDA agent. Do you know there are USDA rules against transporting live tropical fish?

Is it possible sure.. Your local law enforcement could also take them out of your car and accuse you of trafficking fish.... Not sure that's likely..

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

We’ll only know until you try it. Go for it

Going and catching a pair of crosshatch triggers would be cheaper than buying them stateside.

 

[Chrisv.]

I edited it. I know they have to be on carry-on bags but it could also be confiscated by the USDA.

My advice to people who want to do things like this is to get an email from the department of natural resources/fish and game in the state where they want to collect, and a letter from tsa that clarifies the police. I'm pretty confident that none of this is illegal and that with proper documentation, any TSA folks who are ignorant of the rules will accept the emails and let you through.

 

[Chrisv.]

Going and catching a pair of crosshatch triggers would be cheaper than buying them stateside.

You can catch those in San Diego