Hawaii fish ban update

[Salty_Taste]

Anyone have an update? Been starting to see Potters, Wild Yellow Tangs etc pop up. Might even have a chance to get my hands on a BABY Yellow Eye Kole Tang?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Anyone have an update? Been starting to see Potters, Wild Yellow Tangs etc pop up. Might even have a chance to get my hands on a BABY Yellow Eye Kole Tang?

Nothing changed but I too have seen a few wild ones available which point of origin may be from those who possess permits. I do plan on asking around as I will be in Hawaii towards the end of the month.

 

[IKD]

Nothing changed but I too have seen a few wild ones available which point of origin may be from those who possess permits. I do plan on asking around as I will be in Hawaii towards the end of the month.

Can you collect me a Potter’s? I’ll pay for shipping and some!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can you collect me a Potter’s? I’ll pay for shipping and some!

I wish but can tell you this:
I will be posting pics when i return and I have been told to prepare to freak out as I will see hundreds of tangs, butterflies, angels and wrasses.

Btw- this will rattle your bones:

 

[Solasis]

I wish but can tell you this:
I will be posting pics when i return and I have been told to prepare to freak out as I will see hundreds of tangs, butterflies, angels and wrasses.

Btw- this will rattle your bones:

It is beautiful. Have a great time!

 

[workhz]

Probably peaceriver smuggling product in from his latest trip.

 

[Eric Cohen]

Anyone have an update? Been starting to see Potters, Wild Yellow Tangs etc pop up. Might even have a chance to get my hands on a BABY Yellow Eye Kole Tang?

Any wild caught Hawaiian fish you see is pure contraband. Illegal and you shouldn’t support it. If however you can get some yellow tangs that were collected in the Philippines or Indonesia then you’re all good. Potters only come from Hawaii or now are available captive bred. Yellow eye only Hawaii however you can find white tail ones often from Marshall’s and Tahiti. Enjoy!

 

[Solasis]

Any wild caught Hawaiian fish you see is pure contraband. Illegal and you shouldn’t support it. If however you can get some yellow tangs that were collected in the Philippines or Indonesia then you’re all good. Potters only come from Hawaii or now are available captive bred. Yellow eye only Hawaii however you can find white tail ones often from Marshall’s and Tahiti. Enjoy!

Appreciate the clarification! I've unfortunately seen a rise of these illegal fish then.. lots of young yellow tangs and yellow eye kole tangs that are listed as wild and Hawaiin. They just blatantly advertise it on facebook, I would hope there would be some more consequences for these people.

 

[Eric Cohen]

Appreciate the clarification! I've unfortunately seen a rise of these illegal fish then.. lots of young yellow tangs and yellow eye kole tangs that are listed as wild and Hawaiin. They just blatantly advertise it on facebook, I would hope there would be some more consequences for these people.

I’ve seen it too and it makes me nuts. I just wish hobbyists would stop buying these fish. Crosshatch triggers, bandit angels, flame wrasse are some that I’ve seen lately and all bs.

 

[blaxsun]

I’ve seen it too and it makes me nuts. I just wish hobbyists would stop buying these fish. Crosshatch triggers, bandit angels, flame wrasse are some that I’ve seen lately and all bs.

What do you expect? This is what happens when you let groups like PETA determine the course of wildlife management and turn a legitimate industry on its head.

All this Hawaiian fish ban did is jack the prices sky high and create an incentive to illegally harvest them.

 

[AydenLincoln]

I just dont get it cause us fish lovers take care of our fish in our tanks! And none of them are endangered kinds as far as I know. And yellows adapt well from what Ive seen! I finally was able to find someone locally selling his on FB and was able to get a yellow that way. Beautiful fish!

100%!!

 

[expofrog]

I may be wrong but I believe captive bred Yellow Tangs are relatively new, or it’s that the demand for them was not as high since wild caught was bountiful. Give it a few years and you’ll probably see that.

In light of the ban I believe captive bred fish is the way to go, but the cost of this might be prohibitive.

 

[i cant think]

I just dont get it cause us fish lovers take care of our fish in our tanks! And none of them are endangered kinds as far as I know.

Not to turn against this hobby as I know it’s rare if ever that this species is taken from the wild however Pterapogon kauderni is endangered in the wild. It thrives in captivity and in fact many reefers breed them in their own tank unintentionally. And it’s well known they thrive in captivity so people are using captive specimens to breed in captivity and release the broodstock into the wild in their highly restricted origin of the Bangaii archipelago (this species only inhabits 33 islands in this archipelago of Indonesia).

 

[littlefoxx]

Not to turn against this hobby as I know it’s rare if ever that this species is taken from the wild however Pterapogon kauderni is endangered in the wild. It thrives in captivity and in fact many reefers breed them in their own tank unintentionally. And it’s well known they thrive in captivity so people are using captive specimens to breed in captivity and release the broodstock into the wild in their highly restricted origin of the Bangaii archipelago (this species only inhabits 33 islands in this archipelago of Indonesia).

Oh wow I had no idea they were endangered! Those are one of my favorite fish!

 

[Eric Cohen]

What do you expect? This is what happens when you let groups like PETA determine the course of wildlife management and turn a legitimate industry on its head.

All this Hawaiian fish ban did is jack the prices sky high and create an incentive to illegally harvest them.

Make no mistake that this is all the work from Snorkel Bob and Rene Umberger who have made it their life missions to shut down the entire trade. People using the personal collection law to get fish and then break the law when they sell them. It won’t last and these people will eventually regret it. There’s no price you can put on your freedom and when the Federal agents come knocking on your door, your life changes in an instant! Not worth it!

 

[zoomonster]

Let's be clear on Hawaii regs and its intent. It was nothing more than an environmental power grab by activists who drummed up bleeding heart support from Hawaii's ruling class. Assuming the price was not ludicrous I would have no problem buying a black market Hawaiin fish as none of the Hawaiin species popular in the hobby are even remotely endangered. As someone else pointed out it now allows locals to collect under "personal collection" and then "illegally" sell. And of course, locals are still free to catch and eat tangs and whatever else they want.

While certainly some areas of the world have been overfished should we ban all food collection of fish and require people only eat aquacultured? We have seen where that went with gross fish farms raising Tilapia and Salmon. Likewise, I only eat wild fish and shellfish. Many countries try to responsibly manage fishing, but some continue to plunder at will.

I for the most part will not buy aquacultured fish as most are poor quality/color compared to wild. If I do its probably only from ORA. A couple weeks ago I stopped by TSA and they had a tankful of freshly arrived, quarter sized, emaciated yellow tangs with no price and I didn't ask. All I could do is laugh at the thought of what the price actually was. I actually just looked online and they have an adult Hawaiin yellow tang for a mere $899. To be clear about aquaculture there are some I have no problems with like clowns, bangai's, dottybacks etc. For those (not just here) advocating only keeping aquacultured fish your fish selection is going to be really limited and for the most part very expensive. Think about that the next time you eat fish.

 

[areefer01]

Let's be clear on Hawaii regs and its intent. It was nothing more than an environmental power grab by activists who drummed up bleeding heart support from Hawaii's ruling class. Assuming the price was not ludicrous I would have no problem buying a black market Hawaiin fish as none of the Hawaiin species popular in the hobby are even remotely endangered. As someone else pointed out it now allows locals to collect under "personal collection" and then "illegally" sell. And of course, locals are still free to catch and eat tangs and whatever else they want.

While certainly some areas of the world have been overfished should we ban all food collection of fish and require people only eat aquacultured? We have seen were that went with gross fish farms raising Tilapia and Salmon. Likewise, I only eat wild fish and shellfish. Many countries try to responsibly manage fishing, but some continue to plunder at will.

I for the most part will not buy aquacultured fish as most are poor quality/color compared to wild. If I do its probably only from ORA. A couple weeks ago I stopped by TSA and they had a tankful of freshly arrived, quarter sized, emaciated yellow tangs with no price and I didn't ask. All I could do is laugh at the thought of what the price actually was. I actually just looked online and they have an adult Hawaiin yellow tang for a mere $899. To be clear about aquaculture there are some I have no problems with like clowns, bangai's, dottybacks etc. For those (not just here) advocating only keeping aquacultured fish your fish selection is going to be really limited and for the most part very expensive. Think about that the next time you eat fish.

Doesn't matter what we has hobbyist think or believe. One thing for sure though is that our hobby still exists outside a few native fish that are no longer available, or cheap.

We will all do better once we come to this understanding.

 

[blaxsun]

Make no mistake that this is all the work from Snorkel Bob and Rene Umberger who have made it their life missions to shut down the entire trade. People using the personal collection law to get fish and then break the law when they sell them. It won’t last and these people will eventually regret it. There’s no price you can put on your freedom and when the Federal agents come knocking on your door, your life changes in an instant! Not worth it!

I think it's kind of a vast grey area the way it's written. All it indicates is "personal home aquarium" and that you can transfer said fish caught out of state (provided you obey all rules and regulations for collecting fish and the state you reside in). All the law really says is that you cannot sell the fish commercially (which requires a commercial fishing license, which have all been suspended).

Once the fish are no longer in Hawaii I seriously doubt Hawaii has any recourse - so it would be up to individual states if they choose to prosecute hobbyists selling a handful of fish. Unless the volumes and dollar values are there - I just don't see it even popping up on anyone's radar.

I have no problem with people legitimately travelling to Hawaii to stock their own tanks or replace fish that have died. And if they so happen to wind down their tank or sell off any of their fish (due to fish behavior, compatibility, etc.) - that's not really my call, either.

 

[StatelineReefer]

I think it's kind of a vast grey area the way it's written. All it indicates is "personal home aquarium" and that you can transfer said fish caught out of state (provided you obey all rules and regulations for collecting fish and the state you reside in). All the law really says is that you cannot sell the fish commercially (which requires a commercial fishing license, which have all been suspended).

Once the fish are no longer in Hawaii I seriously doubt Hawaii has any recourse - so it would be up to individual states if they choose to prosecute hobbyists selling a handful of fish. Unless the volumes and dollar values are there - I just don't see it even popping up on anyone's radar.

I have no problem with people legitimately travelling to Hawaii to stock their own tanks or replace fish that have died. And if they so happen to wind down their tank or sell off any of their fish (due to fish behavior, compatibility, etc.) - that's not really my call, either.

I wouldn't be to sure of this. Florida has, on more than one occasion, prosecuted and convicted people smuggling fish and conchs just to prove a point and send a message.

 

[blaxsun]

I wouldn't be to sure of this. Florida has, on more than one occasion, prosecuted and convicted people smuggling fish and conchs just to prove a point and send a message.

There are always exceptions to every rule... I'm not saying they wouldn't - just in the larger scheme of things, it's probably not on the radar of most states.