Maybe as a student of marine biology you will learn something about conservation and management.... It is indeed a good idea to be wise in our collection habits.
I posted this a while back..... I cant resist posting it again!!!
The following info is from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission .
link
The following are summarized recreational harvesting regulations for popular tropical-ornamental aquarium species.
License Requirement: A Florida recreational saltwater fishing license (resident or non-resident, whichever is applicable).
Closed Seasons: None.
Closed Areas: The harvest of these species is generally allowed wherever recreational fishing is allowed. However, the harvest of marine life species or the use of the gear allowed to take these species may be limited or prohibited in state or federal parks, national wildlife refuges, and portions of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Interested persons should contact those park areas for further information.
Prohibited Species: All harvest is prohibited of the following species:
Live rock, Bahama starfish (Oreaster reticulatis), longspine urchin (Diadema antillarum), Venus sea fan (Gorgonia flabellum), common sea fan (Gorgonia ventalina), any hard or stony coral (Order Scleractinia), or any fire coral (Genus Millepora).
Allowable Harvesting Gear:
* Hand Collection.
*
"Hand held net," means a landing or dip net, except that a portion of the bag may be constructed of clear plastic material, rather than mesh.
*
"Barrier net," also known as a "fence net," means a seine used beneath the surface of the water by a diver to enclose and concentrate tropical fish and which may be made of either nylon or monofilament.
*
"Drop net," means a small, usually circular, net with weights attached along the outer edge and a single float in the center, used by a diver to enclose and concentrate tropical fish.
*
"Slurp gun" means a self-contained, handheld device that captures tropical fish by rapidly drawing seawater containing such fish into a closed chamber
