Catch your Own?

[owen502]

Can you collect your own fish and/or corals from the Gulf of Mexico?
Has anyone here done it?
I work on an offshore oil rig and they have all kinds of good looking stuff growing here. I helped a couple of little goby's back into the water after they got lifted out by one of the rig legs.
I would think I could put them in a bucket of seawater with a PH or something and they would make the trip home.

 

[coral keeper]

Your very lucky to get free fish and corals and all kinds of other stuff! I think they will make it home.

 

[puffer32]

I believe there are laws about taking stuff out of the ocean, or that may be just rocks and corals, not sure. I would worry about dideases getting into my tank more then anything. I know someone who took some ugly brown hermits home from the beach and afew weeks later all his inverts were dead.

 

[owen502]

Laws are part of what I am getting at. I couldn't find any restrictions since it is international waters for the most part. Even if not it would be federal waters in which state laws do not apply. The state list the species that are restricted and none of them are aquarium fish.

 

[alexander86]

hmm, I wouldn't see any problem with bring fish and inverts home.. I mean after all, you're fishing right? Well it could be constituded as fishing.. If you do happen to bring up a coral, then I'd take it! lol.. But I'm pretty sure it's against the law to swim down and just help yourself to all the fancy corals..

 

[coral keeper]

I would worry more about getting fish from the store than the ocean. The store might have 1 sick fish in a 100 gallon tank and you might not now that so you get a fish from that tank and you can make all your fish sick, so i would worry more about getting fish from the store than the ocean.

 

[1journeyman]

If you are in international waters then I would think you'll need to check with the state that you will be entering. Also might contact US Fish and Wildlife for importing laws.
You will need to do 2 things:
1. ID what you catch before you bring it home so you know it is a suitable aquarium fish or invert. Once in captivity you can't release it back into the wild.
2. QT catch.

 

[owen502]

http://www.fws.gov/news/coral.html
It appears that harvesting your own coral will be illegal. I have yet to call them to get specifics on the laws pertaining to this, but I will.
I also have not been able to find anything about fish.

 

[grouperlover]

No man your good you can get live rock if your 9 miles off shore and you can go and print off the regulations for the fish

 

[deltablack22]

**************************
Delta, please don't promote illegal behavior. 1Journeyman

 

[sepulatian]

As Journey said, check the laws of the state that you are going back to. There are laws. If you are able to bring back some specimens, be sure to qt them.

 

[lsu]

I checked the civil code in La and it is illegal to harvest wildlife in international waters and bring them in to the state due to tariffs and prevention of foreign species being released into local waters. It is hard to get caught though but you always run the risk of introducing hitchers into your system. The key is to check your states laws as it quite illegal in Louisiana with some nasty penalties.

 

[deltablack22]

Originally Posted by DeltaBlack22
**************************
Delta, please don't promote illegal behavior. 1Journeyman
??? This post was no different than many others I have seen on collecting at local beaches etc.... I'm displeased to see that freedom of speech is something that is not promoted on this website. This thread should be closed - if both sides cannot be discussed, what is the point of allowing the topic to continue?

 

[jerthunter]

collecting shouldn't be a problem if you are in international water, I believe, but you would want to check import laws, or check with customs to make sure you in the clear. As far as the safety of the fish, as long as you know the type of fish and properly QT it like any other fish you should be better off compared to buying one at a store that has been shipped halfway across the country.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by DeltaBlack22
??? This post was no different than many others I have seen on collecting at local beaches etc.... I'm displeased to see that freedom of speach is something that is not promoted on this website. This thread should be closed - if both sides cannot be discussed, what is the point of allowing the topic to continue?
Delta, this is not a freedom of speech issue. Furthermore, you are not "free" to post anything you want here. The original poster was asking about the legality of collecting. You posted telling them to go for it, that they probably wouldn't get caught, and to make up a lie about a sister doing "research" if they did get caught (researchers, btw, have strict laws governing their behavior).
If you need further clarification as to the rules to post here feel free to PM a Mod. I don't want this thread to get hijacked over the "freedom of speech" issue.

 

[deltablack22]

Edited, PM sent to clarify. 1Journeyman.
...In the end, the right thing to do would be to check local laws and abide by them. That would infact be the only way to ensure that you didnt get into trouble...

 

[wcroft987]

in FL you can catch your own tropicals as long as they arent protected and you have your fishing license thats all you need, i know lots of ppl in the keys who catch their own fish its just like fishing as long as its not protected and your not killing it which your not, length rules dont apply. thats just my 2 cents and i catch my own fish i have 3 hi-hat drums i cought and they are all doing great fish are hard to net though they are smart!

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by wcroft987
in FL you can catch your own tropicals as long as they arent protected and you have your fishing license thats all you need, i know lots of ppl in the keys who catch their own fish its just like fishing as long as its not protected and your not killing it which your not, length rules dont apply. thats just my 2 cents and i catch my own fish i have 3 hi-hat drums i cought and they are all doing great fish are hard to net though they are smart!
The only issue with this is that they should not be released back into the wild when they outgrow your tank.

 

[teen]

you can catch and keep tropicals here as well. im pretty sure the only thing you cant take that one would want to keep is seahorses.

 

[kingfish8302]

I'm from corpus christi,tx which is on the gulf. US water is out to 10 or 12 miles. I know I use to catch piggy perch and corker with a cast net. Took to my life science teacher and put then in his tank.