Collecting fish from Hawaii?

[fish farmer]

How long will your fish be in transport? I think of all the times I used to catch small freshwater fish and saltwater fish and kept them in a bucket for half a day with just a battery airstone, sometimes not even that. I would have mortalities if I had more than a couple 2" fish in a bucket.

I would really think you would want a styro box or hard cooler with a couple of strong bags and pure oxygen for the trip home. I would seal it tightly. I highly doubt you would be allowed to have your bag of fish between your legs....but they do allow small pets in carriers. I haven't flown in a while but it always seems than NO ONE wants to check their luggage so it all gets crammed in the overhead bins, under seats, etc. Then there is the one piece that just won't fit that gets checked and stowed elsewhere....will that be your fish? Will it get dumped on another flight and be delayed? Some things to consider.

I do remember the bag checks in Kona on the flight out...glad I didn't bring any beach collections home...they would have been found.

 

[C. Eymann]

I may or may not have aquired a frag of purple Porites divaricata out of a fishing outfitters aquarium in San Pedro Belize back when I was a sophmore in high school.

there are crude aquarium setups at a few businesses in DT san pedro that had pieces of this same coral, slowly dying under a 40w strip.
I also spotted a colony of it growing on a pier post by the house we usually stayed at I thought about fragging off of.

My father recommended that I try to save one out of one of the shops aquariums, so I may or may not have done that.
ethically I would have felt bad about taking from the colony growing on the pier, but I dont feel bad about rescuing one out of aquarium, already doomed for death.
It did well in my care, one of the first SPS I was successful with.

There may or may not be a few frags of it still floating around KC, I may or may not have given a frag to a fella I worked at Waldo Pets with as well as another customer that was a much more accomplished reefkeeper than me at the time.

 

[Phildago]

Ok, this thread has got me interested in this as well. Lol
Would you have to be a scuba diver to do this?

Nope. You can use a fishing pole, trap, or suction/slurp device while snorkeling.

My father used to use a slurp gun to catch spot fin butterfly fish scuba diving in the late summer in New York. He also reported french angelfish and a random assortment of tropical fish in the late summer here. He'd keep them in his tank, but has long since retired from the salt water game.

I'd like to get into collecting local gems, but don't have my own dive equipment yet

 

[John08007]

Ok, this thread has got me interested in this as well. Lol
Would you have to be a scuba diver to do this?

Nope, not to see yellow tangs and a ton of other fish from what i remember. I was there 25 yrs ago, it was like swimming in a fishtank at several places right off the beach.

 

[mdrobc13]

Hi. chiming in..live here on Oahu and recently moved her (military) and LFS say illegal to collect all live rock and quite a few inverts. No coral is sold on the island so far that I've found commerically at LFS that is other than I think zoos of a certain type. So far have seen none of those at the only place reported to sell them (went there today). Illegal to remove any coral or live rock or even live sand according the the local authorities/laws. That said LFS guy said you "could" go get some crabs/sand and nobody would probably bother you. Coral and Live rock he said was another story. Fish yes...depending on time of year and what you caught...easy to hard depending on your skill and the fish. They often send their collectors out to get certain orders as they ship wholesale to mainland too. Biggest thing I noticed is pricing. Large Naso tang in the states would cost me upward of $150+ but here $50! Amazing!

As for export..good luck at the airport. Not what one poster said he experienced 25yrs ago. All bags are Xrayed that are checked 1st by Hawaii Wildlife folks to clear you of removing such things and then again by TSA. Carry on you'd have to get thru security (TSA again) who I am sure are well briefed on what Hawaii Agriculture/Wildlife folks will and will not let you carry home. So doubt it would work without an export permit and they have ratchetted down on those type of licenses I am told. Probably less cost to buy the same fish at home...but less memorable.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Great read! I had no idea you could catch fish to bring home at all!

 

[ZoWhat]

Be sure to visit the Prison Giftshop and send out Postcards......at least youll make the News on CNN

 

[robbyg]

Hi. chiming in..live here on Oahu and recently moved her (military) and LFS say illegal to collect all live rock and quite a few inverts. No coral is sold on the island so far that I've found commerically at LFS that is other than I think zoos of a certain type. So far have seen none of those at the only place reported to sell them (went there today). Illegal to remove any coral or live rock or even live sand according the the local authorities/laws. That said LFS guy said you "could" go get some crabs/sand and nobody would probably bother you. Coral and Live rock he said was another story. Fish yes...depending on time of year and what you caught...easy to hard depending on your skill and the fish. They often send their collectors out to get certain orders as they ship wholesale to mainland too. Biggest thing I noticed is pricing. Large Naso tang in the states would cost me upward of $150+ but here $50! Amazing!

As for export..good luck at the airport. Not what one poster said he experienced 25yrs ago. All bags are Xrayed that are checked 1st by Hawaii Wildlife folks to clear you of removing such things and then again by TSA. Carry on you'd have to get thru security (TSA again) who I am sure are well briefed on what Hawaii Agriculture/Wildlife folks will and will not let you carry home. So doubt it would work without an export permit and they have ratchetted down on those type of licenses I am told. Probably less cost to buy the same fish at home...but less memorable.

LOL this is the first post on the subject that is a pretty good guideline as to what to expect. BTW this also applies to the Caribbean.
You can catch fish and only fish but on most islands it depends where your fishing for them. Many tourist accessible locations are now designated as a marine sanctuary and the borders are not often clearly marked. If you catch fish within the sanctuary you better carry lube as you will be needing it!

Catching is one thing, and exporting is a whole different ball game. At best you may just miss your flight because of the two hour talk you will be having with customs agents and possibly the police. In the worst case they might lock you up and fine you a hefty sum for trying to illegally export wildlife.

As for Slurp Guns, those things are a complete waste of time. I catch fish all the time and the best method is weighted clear nets that you can throw down over the area the fish has ducked into. Then you poke around and try to run him into the net. Royal Grammers are the easiest to catch as they always go into a hole that has an entrance and an exit. Place a clear bag with one hand over the hole they went into and then use a thin flexible piece of plastic rod and push it into all the nearby holes until you see him shoot up into the bag.

 

[BloopFish]

LOL this is the first post on the subject that is a pretty good guideline as to what to expect. BTW this also applies to the Caribbean.
You can catch fish and only fish but on most islands it depends where your fishing for them. Many locations are now designated as a marine sanctuary and the borders are not often clearly marked. If you catch fish within the sanctuary you better carry lube as you will be needing it!

Catching is one thing, and exporting is a whole different ball game. At best you may just miss your flight because of the two hour talk you will be having with customs agents and possibly the police. In the worst case they might lock you up and fine you a hefty sum for trying to illegally export wildlife.

As for Slurp Guns, those things are a complete waste of time. I catch fish all the time and the best method is weighted clear nets that you can throw down over the area the fish has ducked into. Then you poke around and try to run him into the net. Royal Grammers are the easiest to catch as they always go into a hole that has an entrance and an exit. Place a clear bag with one hand over the hole they went into and then use a thin flexible piece of plastic rod and push it into all the nearby holes until you see him shoot up into the bag.

I think those nets you are describing are not allowed to be used in Hawaii without a permit (as per dlnr link posted a while back) , in fact, I'm not even sure if commercial divers can use them right now due to new bans. It all depends on the size of the net itself and the mesh size.

 

[robbyg]

I think those nets you are describing are not allowed to be used in Hawaii without a permit (as per dlnr link posted a while back) , in fact, I'm not even sure if commercial divers can use them right now due to new bans. It all depends on the size of the net itself and the mesh size.

The one I use is 4ft across. I have never had an issue but that is of course very dependent on what country you are in. The holes are small, maybe 1/2" and pretty much tangle any fish up in them. The biggest problem is getting the net off the rocks, it snags and takes time to release. There is one location that I dive at that is a blast because it is littered with a bunch of 6" wide rusted and encrusted steel pipes. When I dive with my friend we try to herd the fish we want towards the pipes. Typically if we can get the fish into the area they will duck into one of the pipes. I go to one end and he goes to the other and I pull out a big clear 30gal bag and circle it over one end of the pipe. He then uses a poll spear and pushes it into the pipe. An almost 100% guaranteed capture if we can get them to go into the pipe area.

 

[Robert1994]

Ok so this is just a thought at this point but who out there have caught your own fish for your reef tank? The wife and I are going to the big island in December and agreed that catching a fish and bringing it home would be the ultimate souvenir! I'm sure I'll need some kind of expensive permit but that's ok. Anyone done this? Did you ship it back or take it in your carry on? Any info would be great, thanks!

Plan a visit to the Sea Horse Farm when your here, it's just a few miles from the Kona airport. You can actually purchase a few different kinds of fish as well as Sea Horses from them. They ship to the mainland, but I don't know how they get it done. Maybe it's because they raise them there as opposed to wild caught.

 

[C. Eymann]

One coral I have always wanted to keep was poccilopora verrucosa, I know it grows fairly abundantly in the Hawaiin islands, as well as throughout indo Pacific, but I hardly see it in the trade though? it grows in warty looking large dense lobes, I always thought its growth pattern was really cool.

 

[flying4fish]

All, I live in Hawaii. I also have a Ph.D. in coral reef fish ecology. DLNR has shut down all collecting of aquarium fish. Some are being collected via a loophole, but that requires a commercial fishing license and a net mesh size of no less than 2 inches. You can only catch big specimens with that size mesh. The fishery is being analyzed and studied and may or may not re-open.

 

[Firedawg1983]

I was just in Maui about three weeks ago. Went snorkeling almost every day and saw some awesome fish species and inverts. I had asked that question to locals, TSA, A worker at the aquarium, and a local officer I spotted at the airport. Just like stated above it’s prohibited. I knew from prior to my vacation research, that the rock and corals are illegal to harvest. The fish I did not know 100% for sure Until I got there were “banned” as well. The fish are massive compared to what we see at a LFS on the mainland and I have no idea how I would even transport one back of it were legal. Naso tangs I saw had massive streamers and their scalpels would cut through any bag (they were as large or larger than rose thorns). Saw sally lightfoot crabs almost the size of my hand as well! I would not chance it. Enjoy them in the sea and Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Marlon C]

When I was in Hawaii i fought wrasse and tangs and triggers i let them all go. When i move there in the next few years it will be a different story. That's a tang I caught while torching the tide pools. Imo let them go.

 

[OrionN]

I caught a tiny French Angel, no bigger then a dime, at Mustang Island State Park in Corpus Christi several years ago. He did great in my 30 gal reef until I gave him to a friend in Houston.

 

[robbyg]

I caught a tiny French Angel, no bigger then a dime, at Mustang Island State Park in Corpus Christi several years ago. He did great in my 30 gal reef until I gave him to a friend in Houston.

Lordy that brings back memories. I also caught one that size and he was so pretty. At that size the yellow and black are just so vivid and the tinges of blue are so stunning. The little guy was so smart and full of personality that even at that size he had no problem dealing with my three inch Queen Angel and adult Flame angel. He just drove them mad when they chased him until they eventually just ignored him. Over the next five years he grew to about four inches and was like the lion of the tank. His color was fast becoming adult like and he was eating machine. I eventually trapped him and gave him to another reefer.

 

[OrionN]

Young French Angle are indeed beautiful. IMO, French Angles, both young and mature ones are the most graceful of all the angels.

 

[shred5]

All, I live in Hawaii. I also have a Ph.D. in coral reef fish ecology. DLNR has shut down all collecting of aquarium fish. Some are being collected via a loophole, but that requires a commercial fishing license and a net mesh size of no less than 2 inches. You can only catch big specimens with that size mesh. The fishery is being analyzed and studied and may or may not re-open.

That is what I thought..
It is now illegal to take fish for aquariums in Hawaii.

 

[MT. Reefer]

I have been transporting fish and corals when I get to fly to a large city and want to bring something home with me and I haven't had any problems over the last three or four years. I just take a copy of these with me and show them to the TSA officer after he tells me I have to throw them in the trash. Granted, most of these guys and girls have no clue when you tell them they are corals, and most of the time have to bring back a supervisor, but after showing them these papers, it has always worked out. Keep them in your carry on, in a pocket so you have them when needed.

Live Fish | Transportation Security Administration

Live fish in water and a clear transparent container are allowed after inspection by the TSA officer.

www.tsa.gov

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/live-coral