freediving & collecting

[NoahLikesFish]

what should i do about colecting stuff, i wanna do it by freediving & i want the lowest mortality rate possible, should i ship them? i do need to learn how to snorkel/freedive some. should i take them via air or should i ship the things i collect. i kinda want fish too. mabye what iil do is work out a deal with my lfs to collect 1 day, ship the stuff to them, have them acclimate them and hold them for me & then i would get them on my way back from the airport as long as the time isnt outrageous when we get back or i will ask them to drive it to us

 

[Unenabled]

Do you mean like snorkeling and taking fish from a reef? That's probably illegal. That includes taking coral or rock from a reef. I could be wrong

 

[Tonycass12]

Depending on where you are this is probably illegal. Most if not all Caribbean corals are all protected. And you need permits for fish collection. Catching fish free diving is way harder then catching them fishing.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

i would prolly do micro fishing or dipnetting if i were to catch any fish, stuff like florida zoas or shrooms &gorgs are legal to collect along with the pink tip anenome. macros and snails are another focus, id like some fighting conchs for my tank.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

id be freediving mostly to survey the area and to collect the sessile animals. 1 thing i really want are tunicates and oysters cause i had a couple in a tide pool aquarium and they were the coolest things ever, the oysters had biodiversity on them comparable to live rock and the tunicates are cool because they are cordates & they are very animated

 

[dedragon]

"In the state of Florida there are specific rules governing the commercial, nonlethal harvest of marine life. Throughout the state of Florida, the collection of stony corals, fire corals, and the octocorals Gorgonia flabellum and G. ventalina (common sea-fans) is prohibited. The collection of octocoral species is restricted. The harvest of live-rock, substrate with living organisms attached, is illegal unless harvested at a licensed aquaculture area. Additionally, any harvest of the long-spined sea urchin, Diadema antillarum, is prohibited."

Florida Coral Rules and Regulations

rules-and-regulations

myfwc.com

Sounds pretty strict

Idk, sounds a bit illegal

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Sounds very illegal without a license and permit

 

[snorklr]

RonReefmans snorkling and collecting thread in the lounge has some good details on this

 

[happyhourhero]

The lfs would be unable to help unless you/they have a saltwater products commercial license. . I live in Florida and collect lots myself. There are very few LFS (if any) that would accept hobbyist collected fish or inverts because of the red tape. The zoa limit is something really low like 5 polyps per day. This is not a venture you want to get into.

 

[happyhourhero]

Here is where you would start.

Commercial Saltwater License Fees

Fees

myfwc.com

 

[Unenabled]

Yeah everything you just said you want to do is illegal. Just buy your stuff from a lfs or online like everybody else lol

 

[Eagle_Steve]

For reference:

You can legally collect certain items in Florida with a standard SW fishing license. The number for collection are very low, include total organism limits and FWC will bury you if outside of any of the limits/combined limits. This is lined out very well in the FWC SW Fishing Regulations. I posted some snips for examples below.

If you just want a few things here or there when on vacation, awesome. Buy a standard SW license, collect some critters LEGALLY, and rig up a small cooler with a battery bubbler for when collecting. Then use a cooler with a small power filter and a heat to transport back home. If you are flying in and out, then you can use a cheap cooler with a bubbler to keep things alive in the hotel room and use some of the pre-made coral transport containers built for TSA compliance to get the critter home. But be sure to check with the airline you are flying on and get an email from them stating you can bring live stock on board. This is a just in case, as it is ultimately up to the Airline, even once past TSA. You will also need to be prepared to politley work with the TSA agent and have printed docs that shows what is acceptable per TSA codes. There are so many codes in regards to what TSA allows, you cannot expect them to know them all.

There is a commercial license available, I have one and collect on a regular basis.This is not for the average hobbiest or day tripper. Lots of rules, lots of paperwork and quite a few other things that go into this. So if you are looking at this, do not let the cost of the license sway to it, as yes the cost is not that bad, it is everything else that comes with that license that can get you into trouble if not followed to a "T".

Some examples pulled out of the current FWC SW Regulations printed guide. This is only a part of it and there is a bit more to take in if you plan to collect.

 

[fish farmer]

Here's the defined link to marine life collecting

Marine Life

Marine Life

myfwc.com

Been thinking about myself just for some snails.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Here's the defined link to marine life collecting

Marine Life

Marine Life

myfwc.com

Been thinking about myself just for some snails.

Thanks for posting the link. Meant to put it at bottom of my post and forgot to lol.