Permitted Fish Collector in San Francisco?

[Aspect]

Does anyone know of a permitted fish collector in San Francisco? If so please let me know, thank you.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Still looking for a brown smoothhound? I remembered something - some years ago there was a sting operation on SF Bay to catch illegal aquarium shark fishers. Browns have an 18” minimum size for commercial take, so don’t try to get one smaller than that!

Jay

 

[Aspect]

Still looking for a brown smoothhound? I remembered something - some years ago there was a sting operation on SF Bay to catch illegal aquarium shark fishers. Browns have an 18” minimum size for commercial take, so don’t try to get one smaller than that!

Jay

Yeah, I'm still working with Matsu and a different collector. However, neither of them mentioned anything about Browns needing to be a minimum size. Both told me they could collect pups.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Yeah, I'm still working with Matsu and a different collector. However, neither of them mentioned anything about Browns needing to be a minimum size. Both told me they could collect pups.

I don't have a copy of the California regs, but look at the bottom of this page:

CA Marine Species Portal

Data-driven website application for the state-managed marine fisheries

marinespecies.wildlife.ca.gov

Since they are selling the fish, it constitutes a "commercial take".

IIRC, the sting operation targeted a group of people (from a church of all things) that were catching pregnant female leopard sharks and cutting them open to get babies to sell to the aquarium trade.


Jay

 

[Aspect]

I don't have a copy of the California regs, but look at the bottom of this page:

CA Marine Species Portal

Data-driven website application for the state-managed marine fisheries

marinespecies.wildlife.ca.gov

Since they are selling the fish, it constitutes a "commercial take".

IIRC, the sting operation targeted a group of people (from a church of all things) that were catching pregnant female leopard sharks and cutting them open to get babies to sell to the aquarium trade.


Jay

Thanks for the link, very informative. I'll have to get in contact with the collectors to make sure they're aware of this.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the link, very informative. I'll have to get in contact with the collectors to make sure they're aware of this.

They don’t need to follow this for scientific collecting permits, but selling fish collected under those permits is a gray area - most likely they shouldn’t be doing that. I’ve had other California collectors tell me that in order to get me specimens, I need my own permit. I’m not sure how Matsu gets around that, nor the commercial collectors that get Catalina gobies.

Jay