collecting in hawaii

[piranhaking]

done anyone know where i can find laws about collecting coral or other inverts in hawaii. I am going in july and i would really like to be able to bring something back for my tank if its legal. also i would like to know about bringing back shells and rocks off the beach (not live rock but the stuff that washes up). any help would be greatly appreciated.

[SethSPST]

I know collecting fish for aquariums is illegal without a liscense $50), and I think taking the coral that washes up on the beach is as well, but I've never seen anyone from DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) around very much.;)

[piranhaking]

do you have any links to any offical sites that talk about that?

[toddmcgill]

try this http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/fish_regs/index.htm

[piranhaking]

it seems that sand and coral rubble is ok to take

The taking of sand, coral rubble or other marine deposits is permitted in certain circumstances. The material may not exceed one gallon per person per day, and may be taken only for personal, noncommercial purposes. HRS §171-58.5, §205A-44. Im still waitin on a responce form DLNR about whether or not soft corals can be harvested. Hard corals are out of the question, but what i read was very unclear about soft corals. Im hoping they respond quickly because im really anxious to know. Ill let everyone know what i find out. Thanks for the link. I really appreciate the help.

[piranhaking]

the beach is Ulua/Mokapu. Is anyone familar with the area?

[Roll221]

I am being stationed to Hawaii in July, I also have e-mailed the DLNR, never received a response. I did however get a reply from Charles Delbeek from the Waikiki Aquarium. He did not go into specifics, but he indicated that all coral and "Live Rock"collection is prohibited.

Ed

[piranhaking]

still waiting on a responce. I might call tomorrow.

[SethSPST]

I've got a friend that volunteers at the waikiki aquarium. she doesn't know much about equipment, but says the water for the aquarium is pumped in from the ocean, filtered, pumped into aquariums, pumped out, filtered again, then returned to the ocean. the aquariums basically complete water changes every 45 minutes.

[Roll221]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7244527#post7244527 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by piranhaking
still waiting on a responce. I might call tomorrow.

Please let us know what they say.

Ed

[piranhaking]

so far still no response

[pactrop]

I am a wholesaler/collector in Hawaii and I have some bad news. taking any live rock (any rock with something alive on it, including seaweed) is illegal.

we don't have very nice coral here but that is illegal also.

You can't even have coral in a home aquarium. The only places that can have it is if you are a university, or if you are the Waikiki aquarium.

[piranhaking]

i got a reply finally, but no answer yet. There are some details we have to discuss first. Ill let you all know the final outcome.

[pactrop]

where are you going to be in Hawaii?

[Roll221]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7306601#post7306601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pactrop
where are you going to be in Hawaii?

I am going to be on Oahu. I have hear so many conflicting stories. Some say you can collect as DLNR personnel are far and few between and you would never get caught. Others say "everyone does it". But in the end it is illegal and I am guessing the punishment sever if you do get caught collecting it or if you get ought with it in your home??

Ed

[pactrop]

Yes, it is Illegal. and Yes people collect for their home. but not too many people have live coral. they just want rocks for their tank.

If you do get caught taking coral off the islands the penalty is extremely severe. I kinda remember a couple guys got caught a few years ago and the fine was in the six figures.

[piranhaking]

I'll be at ulua beach. Still no reply so far, i hope he gets back with me soon.

[yamaha racer]

actually it isnt illegal to collect fish but you arent aloud to colect coral of live rock or anything but fish. your not even aloud to have the special equipment to have coral on the islands.

belive me i go there all the time and a friend of mine is a marine biologist there and told me all this.

http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/licenses.htm #7

[pactrop]

actually it isnt illegal to collect fish but you arent aloud to colect coral of live rock or anything but fish. your not even aloud to have the special equipment to have coral on the islands.

actually you are somewhat right. you can collect fish.

by law you are allowed to collect five fish per day.

but the question is.
anyone know where i can find laws about collecting coral or other inverts in hawaii.

In the Hawaii fishing regulations, which you can get a copy by writing to
Division of Aquatic Resources
Dept. of land and natural resources
Kalanimoku BLD
1151 Punchbowl ST. room 330
Honolulu HI 96813

page 9: Coral and LIVE ROCK

stony coral : Unlawful to take, break, or damage, with any implement, any stony coral from waters of the state, including any reef or mushroom coral. Unlawful to sell or offer for sale any stony coral.

LIVE ROCK: Unlawful to take, break, or damage, with any implement, any rock or coral to which marine life is visibly attached.

There are no rules about owning equipment.

[pactrop]

Yamaha racer I looked at the link you provided and found this

7) Aquarium Permit - required for any person to use fine mesh net for collecting aquatic life for an aquarium. Report required if commercial. No fee. HRS §188-31.

[Roll221]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7326299#post7326299 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pactrop

LIVE ROCK: Unlawful to take, break, or damage, with any implement, any rock or coral to which marine life is visibly attached.

Any rules for placing lace rock in the water to "seed" it. Does it then become live rock and then become illegal to take back out? Seem like that "visibly attached" phrase could be a little loop hole if you just wanted decent live rock for a fish only tank.

Ed

[pactrop]

Great question. It is illegal to do that also. Here comes the good part. There are special permits you can get but the MAC certified rock but it isnt cheap. I can have it shipped to you for about $6 per lb landed for a 45 lb box.
But that still leaves our friend piranhaking with no chance of going diving in Hawaii and seeing a nice rock and saying to himself. "I would love to have that in my aquarium" and then actually taking it. he will still have to buy it. that just isnt the same.

[dvmsn]

Regardless of Hawaii law, federal law makes it illegal to transport stoney corals harvested in US waters over state lines. They don't play around with this. If a federal agent catches you, you better open your check book.

[SethSPST]

So I assume you can't pick up the coral that washes up on the beach either?

[SethSPST]

pactrop do you have a store in HI?

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

the fish in hawaii are 1000x more beautiful than the corals.....man i would love to go catch a couplke awesome specimens and bring em home!

[pactrop]

I don't have a "store" but I do sell fish to the public. If you are in Hawaii give me a call and you can stop by and see my facility and pick up some fish.

And to reply to an earlier post. No you can't take the coral that washes up on the beach. There are some technicalities that let you get some dead coral but in Hawaii you will be hard pressed to find a person that didn't look down on you for taking live coral.

Like the EAGLES said, the fish here are 100X better looking than our corals and the corals that we do have are pretty scarce.

Pretty much all the reef tanks I have seen on RC have fairy tale reef setups. you will never see anything like that here.

[piranhaking]

the dead coral that washes up is what i was refering to, and yes, you can take it. I got that straight from the dlnr site.

http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/library/coral_liverock.htm

The taking of sand, coral rubble or other marine deposits is permitted in certain circumstances. The material may not exceed one gallon per person per day, and may be taken only for personal, noncommercial purposes

[pactrop]

The coral they are refering to that can be taken is only from above the high tide water line and that leaves pretty much just sand. By all means help yourself to the bucket of sand.

Pirahnaking are you in Hawaii?

[rstark33]

I have a friend who has collected large peices of completely dead and rock on the shore in Maui. He just put about 100lbs into two plastic bins and checked them as luggage on his way home. No one said a thing. The pieces are really uniqe and very porous. It was added to his tank and then became live.
If any of you catch those sweet fish with a net, let me know how as I would love to collect some fish... I hope you can swim fast!
I go to Maui every year and plan to bring some dead dry rock back next fall.

[Lumpus]

I was just on Oahu and wanted to get some fish there. I found GREAT prices at the one fish store I was able to visit, but was unable to find licensed collectors in the yellow pages. I ended up not getting any because our flight left before the store opened last Monday.

You need to also check your airline regarding whether you can carry aquatic cargo...United was ok with it. Some are apparently jerks. Everything goes through the agricultural scanners and the baggage check scanners so they will most likely know if you try to smuggle anything. And deservedly, given the problems that irresponsible people cause the environment, the fine is a suggested $100,000. I suggest a store receipt be handy when you go to leave.

[piranhaking]

im not there, im going soon though.

[DitchPlains2]

better looking than our corals and the corals that we do have are pretty scarce.

No Corals in Hawaii? Not a good place to dive for reefs?? lol I cannot believe someplace as remote as Hawaii doesnt have dive sites with great corals and fish. I find that truly hard to believe. I found a few coral sites in the Carribean, how is it that Hawaii doesn't? Unless I am mistaking that statement, for particularly Oahu. I have heard that some of the smaller island have amazing dive sites, even Kauai.

Just my two cents.
David

[pactrop]

yea that was taken the wrong way. We do have beautiful corals here and they are everywhere.

Look at a nice coral tank like

www.oregonreef.com
www.moyesreef.com/home.php

you would be hard pressed to see something like that in real life.

[DitchPlains2]

In the words of Napoleon Dynamite "well Duh....GAWD"


David

[pactrop]

Well your the one that didn't understand it. so in the words of Napoleon Dynamite "sweet".

[DitchPlains2]

No, your just under the impression I have never dove or seen an actual reef, lol. Sadly, Steve Weast's tank is not South Pacific specific in his coral selections. He has some Carribean collected Staghorn in his tank. I don't think anyone who dives, would assume to find Heniochus Butterfly on the same dive as Atlantic tangs, and so forth. They all come from differing parts of the ocean. Thus, I understand fully well, just don't assume your audience is unaware, as we all know what "Assume," truly means. So in the same vein; "Rico, Grandma just called and wants you leave, as your ruining everyone's life."

cheers
David:lol:

[pactrop]

calm down and go watch your fish.

I think you might be going a little overboard here. my post stated "Pretty much all the reef tanks I have seen on RC have fairy tale reef setups. you will never see anything like that here."

I think that covers your whole last post fairly well. and I am not assuming my audience is unaware as you say. It might actually be that you are assuming I am unaware. So take it easy and stop getting so critical. I believe everyone but you understood what I was saying.

[DitchPlains2]

calm down and go watch your fish.

ok there CHEIF! I'm really p1zed off lol.


cheers
David

[zemuron114]

The only corals found in Hawaii are cauliflower coral and mostly red or pink. On Oahu there isn't a dive spot that really makes you go "what was incredible" or "so many nice corals and colors".. Maui or molakai is the place to go for reefs. Kuaui is nice to. Oahu really is terrible for coral. there are some beautiful fish though. So Pactrop is right in saying you will never find a nice reef. Go to tonga, fiji, or somewhere over in that area if you like corals :)

[VirginiaDiver]

I just moved away from Hawaii afer being there nine years. I started with an octopus tank, and then switched to a reef tank.

You can collect inverts and fish with a permit (5 a day with a few extra limits on game animals). No live coral and no live rock, BUT if you go to the beach early after a storm or big surf you'll find plenty of recently deceased rock washed up on the shore. Go wearing pants so it's obvious you haven't gone in the water to collect.

There is also a couple pet stores that sell zoas and leather corals. Many ebayers will also ship to Hawaii. Keep in mind importing is illegal. But I have heard that if you get a rose BTA off ebay for $40 and it grows and splits, you can usually sell the new ones for $100 each. At least that's the rumer.

If you decide to go out and collect your own live rock leave your hammer and chisel at home. There are some areas when the tide goes out it seems everything is covered in mud, go out and shake the mud off some of the rock you see on the mud flat. It will have amazing colors and tons of life. Keep in mind this is still illegal and you will get your a$$ handed to you if caught. But at least this will minimize your impact on the reefs.

You can also collect some macro to eat, which means you can replant it at home for a refugium.

As far as exporting- don't bother. Taking stuff onto a plane is illegal, you might not get caught- but your risks aren't worth the reward in my book. If you build a healthy reef tank and network a little you'll be able to sell everything for more than you'll pay to replace it in the mainland.





PS I know this thread is old. I was just doing a search for Hawaii threads with hopes of learning how to get a pair of pistol shrimps like the ones I had in Hawaii.

[cthetoy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8770036#post8770036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by VirginiaDiver
I
As far as exporting- don't bother. Taking stuff onto a plane is illegal, you might not get caught- but your risks aren't worth the reward in my book. If you build a healthy reef tank and network a little you'll be able to sell everything for more than you'll pay to replace it in the mainland.


Just to clarify fish are ok and legal to bring on the plane as a checked luggage providing the fish are not on the restricted list

[Nano_reeflover]

I was interested in this as I will be going to Kauai in February to visit my grandparents. I sent an email to DLNR and this is what I got:

If you are using a small meshed (less than 2 inches mesh) hand net of less than three feet, including the handle, to collect the aquarium fish, and the fish are not collected for sale, no permit is required. A hand net larger than three feet, will require an aquarium permit. 1) what will you be using to collect the animals (what kind of gear)? 2) Are the animals to be collected for sale?

You should check with the equivalent of the Division of Aquatic Resources in your home state to see if they have restrictions on importing animals. There may be an alien species concern. You should also check with the airlines for their shipping requirements. Live animals for export are usually not a problem as long as they are not illegal.

You may not collect or transport any animals that are unlawful to take in Hawaii. Transporting illegal animals across state lines is a federal and state offense. The regulations can be found at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar. Click the regulations button. Let me know if you have any questions.

Alton Miyasaka
Biologist
Division of Aquatic Resources
Department of Land and Natural Resources
State of Hawaii

[Aquariumist]

what are some fish you arent allowed to collect/bring home with you?

[cthetoy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8846099#post8846099 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Aquariumist
what are some fish you arent allowed to collect/bring home with you?


From:
http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/fish_regs/marfish.htm

Aholehole: Kuhlia sandvicensis, K. xenura
‘Ama‘ama (striped mullet): Mugil cephalus
Awa: Chanos chanos
Kala: Naso unicornis, N. brevirostris, N. annulatus
Kumu: Parupeneus porphyreus
Manini: Acanthurus triostegus sandvicensis
Moano: Parupeneus. multifasciatus
Moi: Polydactylus sexfilis
‘O‘io: Albula glossodonta
‘Opelu kala: Naso hexacanthus
Uhu: Scarus dubius, S. psittacus, S. rubroviolaceus, Chlorurus sordidus, C. perspicillatus
Ulua and papio: Caranx ignobilis, C. lugubris, C. melampygus, C. sexfasciatus
Carangoides equula, C. ferdau, C. orthogrammus
Weke and oama: Mulloidicthys flavolineatus

[Iconz]

Hmm. So, If i understand this right, you can't (legally) have a true reef tank in your house if you live in the state of Hawaii?

[vijaym85]

pactrop
How much do Dragon Morays and bonnetheads cost ?

[chrisstie]

Don't forget that if you break the law Pele will smite you. :)