can i bring stuff back?

[Ruskan F]

i have a trip to the bahamas coming up and i was thinking it would be cool to bring something back for the tank.does anyone know the rule and/or what if anything i could do to make that happen?i have completed the P.A.D.I class and did my open water dive in a local lake but no ocean yet.

[maractwin]

No, you can't. Two practical reasons and one legal.

As a brand new diver, you should avoid trying too many things at once. Task loading can easily lead to confusion and mistakes on the life-support tasks. So don't try more than looking at the scenery for your first dives.

Second, if you were to manage to catch something, would you have a way to reasonably keep it alive for the remainder of your trip, and transport it home? Keep in mind that in a tropical climate, the air temperature is likely warm enough to cook a fish in a small tank unless it is kept in an air-conditioned room.

Finally, the legal aspect. While some creatures may be legal to collect, many are not or require special permits. And to import any of these back into the U.S. requires more permits, as well as arrangements to meet a representative of the Fish & Wildlife service at your port of entry. While all of this is possible to arrange, it's more than a hobbyist can realistically arrange. It's even a pain for the professionals who do it regularly.

I've heard of people ignoring the laws and doing this anyway. The penalties are pretty drastic if you get caught, and with current airline policies, you're pretty likely to get caught.

-Mark

[carman9941]

well if you do decide to bring some stuff back can I send you my list????? JK enjoy your trip and have fun

[yamaha racer]

go to hawaii. ur aloud to collect fish

[thor32766]

yeah customs is a pain in the a$$

[yamaha racer]

from hawaii? i wentr there and took fish back and all they did was ask what it was

[maractwin]

Hawaii is part of the United States, so there aren't customs to worry about, just state rules. But the original poster asked about the Bahamas, which is another country.

When I participated in a collecting trip to Bimini, we were met by officials in Miami. They compared our permits (applied for and granted in advance) to what was actually in our holding tanks. They actually held us up for a couple of hours because we had 4 species of crab listed, but weren't allowed to collect seashells. First they tried to tell us we could only bring in the hermit crabs if we left the seashells behind. Had to appeal that to someone off-site that the shells are an integral part of the hermits...

-Mark

[hogpark7430]

It might be tough to bring anything liquid now.

[thor32766]

yeah i have heard that from a couple that went to the turks and caicos this past weekend. they were told they couldnt bring them on the plane because the craziness with the liquids now.

[FishyLover]

I think me and Ruskan were kinda thinking shipping back here while we're in the bahamas, not taking it on the plane with us. But I'm sure that's just as big of a pain.

[mdog3000]

I went there. The stuff in the water has to stay. But any rocks or coral pieces that have washed up on the beach you are aloud to take. Makes some pretty nice live rock.

[uscgbeachbum]

I ship stuff to/from the Bahamas all the time for work. There is absolutely no way you could ship it back to make it cost effective. You have to pay taxes, duties, etc. and will more than likely need a broker. You might even have to "pad" someone's wallet. I dive there for work all the time. I am yet to see anything worthy enough to worry about the hassle.

[csherlock]

Dont forget most states require a hunting/collecting permit/license. Also you need to make sure that you are collecting only what is permited. Make sure you safely know how to collect the item because it would be a shame for you to damage the reef and/or item because of improper collecting techinque.

I think it is best to buy aquacultured anyway!