ocean collecting

navypilot

navypilot

New Member
i have a question about collecting straight from the ocean. i live in pensacola, florida and i can catch plenty of hermits in about 3-5 feet of water. i'm not worried about water quality since its crystal clear with white sand (no industry = no pollution).
also, one of the 349 hurricanes that have come through in the past 2 years knocked a pier into the water, and supposedly is teeming with life. its only in 10-12 feet of water, and easy to reach with a snorkel. along with hermits, if i harvest some clams, scallops, sand dollars and maybe some sponges (plus any rocks that i might find with life), is there anything i need to worry about?
i guess people are going to tell me to quarentine this stuff, so what do you need to set a qt tank up? what size, if they are going into a 100gal tank?
 
ktsdad

ktsdad

Member
I would worry about the local ordinance on removing animals from the ocean if it was me.
I would check with local police, enviromental folks, life guards and anyone else that controls what happens on a public beach.
I am sure you would hate to go to jail in your snorkle gear!
 
navypilot

navypilot

New Member
as far as i know the only ordinance is against collecting for commercial purposes. worth checking out though.
 
my way

my way

Active Member
A quarenteen tank just needs the basics, Big enough to hold what you need to put in it, a heaterand filter. If you are setting it up for hermits and snails I would add some sand for them to sift through. Other than parasites, pollutants and legal issues, I don't see any problems.
 
aw2

aw2

Active Member
As far as I'm aware, FL does not have restrictions on collecting fish/snails/hermits, etc. as long as they're not for commercial purposes, as was already said. They do not allow you to collect live rock, however.
I was just in FL a month ago and collected close to 400 Nassarius Snails, along with other hermits, larger snails and mangroves.
How long have you been stationed in Pensacola? That was my first duty stop, when I was in the Navy.
 
granny

granny

Member
Did someone say the Navy?? My husband retired from the Navy a few years ago and we finally settled down out here in the country!
Once before, I told my lifes history and commented that at one time, all we had was what we collected locally from the ocean -including the sand and our water. I have also had a chesapeake bay tank with critters I collectedlocally when I lived on the beach in NOrfolk, Va.
Anyhow, if you are setting up a tank specifially for what you collect (and it seems to have been determined this is not illegal) I wouldnt really worry about quaranting. Use the water and sand from the collection site as we did in the old days and add your acquisitions to the tank. However, if you are going to add them to an established reef or fish tank with formerly acquired inhabitants, then it would be a good idea to quarantine for attached pests you might bring in.
 
aw2

aw2

Active Member
As Granny, and other, have said...a QT is a very good idea.
And Granny...werent you worried about runoff pollutants in the sand that you collected? You couldnt pay me enough to put shoreline sand or rock in any of my tanks.
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
I would seriously check with local ordinances about live animal marine collecting. When I live on Oahu you could collect live fish every other year (I think it was even years) and Jan 1st you would see hoards of people out with dip nets and buckets. It was a huge fine if you were caught collecting in an off year. Just to be safe, start with ordinances.
 
aufishman

aufishman

Member
Originally Posted by navypilot
i have a question about collecting straight from the ocean. i live in pensacola, florida and i can catch plenty of hermits in about 3-5 feet of water. i'm not worried about water quality since its crystal clear with white sand (no industry = no pollution).
also, one of the 349 hurricanes that have come through in the past 2 years knocked a pier into the water, and supposedly is teeming with life. its only in 10-12 feet of water, and easy to reach with a snorkel. along with hermits, if i harvest some clams, scallops, sand dollars and maybe some sponges (plus any rocks that i might find with life), is there anything i need to worry about?
i guess people are going to tell me to quarentine this stuff, so what do you need to set a qt tank up? what size, if they are going into a 100gal tank?

All you need is a Florida Saltwater Fishing liscence. You can find all the harvesting information on the State's game and fish website here: http://myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recharvestmls.htm
If you are looking for inverts, St. Joe's Bay is a great place to snorkel that is relatively close to you. Also, St Andrews Bay up in the PC area has tons of sites. I can't remmeber if they allow collecting at the state park or not, but I've free dove those jetties several times. Lots of butterfly fish, damsels, gobies, and blennies.
 
slappy

slappy

Member
wish i lived somewhere i could do this. just would be cool to see whats out there. o-well guess i could always go snorkleing in the good old hudson river here in new york. atleast i would get to see some 3 eyed fish and 2 headed eels....
 
maxalmon

maxalmon

Active Member
Originally Posted by slappy
wish i lived somewhere i could do this. just would be cool to see whats out there. o-well guess i could always go snorkleing in the good old hudson river here in new york. atleast i would get to see some 3 eyed fish and 2 headed eels....
Imagine what the LFS would charge for those "rare" specimens
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
" I have not researched this " but I think if the authorities really wanted to bother you for collecting hermits they could get you if you dont have a normal state issued residental, recreational fishing/crabing ?? permit. IDK.
Not sure if northern Gulf critters are compatable in a typical reef set up, so......
oops, missed AU's post, so what he/she said.
 
27mtaylor

27mtaylor

Member
Originally Posted by AUFishman
All you need is a Florida Saltwater Fishing liscence. You can find all the harvesting information on the State's game and fish website here: http://myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recharvestmls.htm
If you are looking for inverts, St. Joe's Bay is a great place to snorkel that is relatively close to you. Also, St Andrews Bay up in the PC area has tons of sites. I can't remmeber if they allow collecting at the state park or not, but I've free dove those jetties several times. Lots of butterfly fish, damsels, gobies, and blennies.

I go to Mexico Beach at least once a summer... What all can you find in St. Joe Bay?
 
aufishman

aufishman

Member
Originally Posted by 27mtaylor
I go to Mexico Beach at least once a summer... What all can you find in St. Joe Bay?

But for you I'll make an exception.
As you may already know, St Joe Bay is real shallow. It probably averages less than 5 feet deep. There are also no rivers or creeks that dump into it, so it's always been crystal clear when I've been. The bay is one of the most popular scalloping grounds on the Gulf Coast, so you'll certainly run across a lot of bay scallops. The best place to look is around the turtle grass beds. Lots of scallops, urchins, sand dollars, sea stars, assorted gastropods, nudibranchs, tunicates, crabs, etc. the only prohibited species you're likely to come across is Diadema, but you don't want that

[hr]
in your tank anyway. Look for rocky areas and you're likely to find a lot of damsels, butterfly fish, maybe some tangs. I've also seen an octopus, bay squid, and a couple seahorses and pipefish, but I'd recommend leaving those be. Just be sure to shuffle your feet if you are wading in from shore, you will see tons of rays.
 
27mtaylor

27mtaylor

Member
I don't usually talk to Auburn fans either, lol
Thanks for the info AUfishman! St. Joe Bay is on the Panhandle. It is Southwest of Tallahassee. I have caught seahorses, pipefish, crabs and damsels in the sargassum while at Mexico Beach. I may try to snorkel some at the bay this summer.
 
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