Anyone dive to get there own fish??

[dawnskaybug]

Yeah I know Im opening a can of worms...
But any divers dive to get fish for there aquarium???

[r00onmac]

lots of people do.. there have been tons of threads, including a big one in the "reef fishes" forum...

i have a license to do so,,, but i havent gone yet... just a matter of time

[dawnskaybug]

I did a search and found nada
I did catch fish and catching fish

[Cshradr7]

what kind of license would you need to do so and where might you get one of these? sounds interesting, i always just thought it was illegal.

[r00onmac]

regular fishing license works here in FL... as long as you know what species and sizing regulations... etc....

[r00onmac]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=809546

there is the thread

[dawnskaybug]

I need a license and its for Aquarium use only. Im "supposed" to tell them what I caught each month.

[alikatoes]

Here in Hawaii you need a license, $50 a year. I do collection trips 2-3 times weekly. Good fun.

[dawnskaybug]

What type of netting do you use ?

[alikatoes]

If your in Guam your best bet is trying to get monofilament 3/4in from Philipinnes. If you can get some of the 6lb test netting let me know, I havent been able to find that stuff locally.

[dawnskaybug]

Theres a net store that Im trying to get to here but its always closed. Ill let you know what I find

[ronjeremy]

i have caught a few of my own..we have some species of tangs that i am going for this coming year..i found 2 different types, but i'm not sure..they aren't something i have ever seen at the lfs..we have sergeant damsels, blue/yellow damsels, coral beauties(or something almost identical), butterflies(in the deeper parts)..i found most right next to the shore..i snorkel by some jetties..i just discovered the tangs this year..i have never seen them before at the jetties..i hope they are there when the warm water returns!!

[mrabolli]

in florida theres no license required and no regulations on size. pick up a fishing reg guide and you will see tropicals are free for the collecting. Unless the changed the laws since 2 years ago when I last looked.

[mrabolli]

in florida theres no license required and no regulations on size. pick up a fishing reg guide and you will see tropicals are free for the collecting. Unless the changed the laws since 2 years ago when I last looked.

[mcross]

me and the wife are going to atlantic city nj again when it gets a bit warmer is there a place near there where one can catch thier own fish,, do you need a saltwater fishing lisence,and wheres the location if anyone have ever snorkeled there for fish. * oh yea near the shore neither of us can swim that well for deep water lol.

thanks in advance

[mrabolli]

not sure what kind of fish your looking to collect? Theres no reef that far north and thus no reef/tropical fish. Basically theres no way you would find collectible fish there. You will see some bait fish in schools swimming around maybe. N.J. is one of those overregulated states so I imagine there is some regulations controlling any collecting you might try. Try the NJ fish and wildlife website.

[maractwin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8881046#post8881046 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mrabolli
Theres no reef that far north and thus no reef/tropical fish. Basically theres no way you would find collectible fish there.

Actually, it's common to find wayward tropicals up the East Coast in the fall, as far north as Rhode Island. Fish spawn in the summer in Florida and the Caribbean, and some of the larvae get carried north on the Gulf Stream. You'll only see young juveniles up here, because the fish won't survive the cold winter. I often go collecting tropicals near Newport RI in September/October, typically finding spotfin & foureye butterflies, bicolor and cocoa damsels, and sometimes others as well.

In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, you need a fishing permit for fish they consider of commercial value (i.e. for human consumption), but not for tropicals.

-Mark

[fishome25]

yea, I live in NY and caught about 40 butterflies this year as well as groupers, lionfish, lizardfish, and flying gurnard.

[dawnskaybug]

Right off the beach??
The visibility is about 1 foot

[fishome25]

in guam or ny?

[dawnskaybug]

AC NJ
Here in Guam vivibility is 60-200 feet

[fishome25]

yea, some days the vis is very poor. but other days 20 feet or more is possible.

[dawnskaybug]

Also 90% of the fish I catch are at night when there sleeping.
I rarely catch anything but clowns and puffers during the day

[ashrem]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8879808#post8879808 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mrabolli
in florida theres no license required and no regulations on size. pick up a fishing reg guide and you will see tropicals are free for the collecting. Unless the changed the laws since 2 years ago when I last looked.

Yeah your gonna need a license in Florida. See Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (http://myfwc.com/marine/FWC68B.htm) for particulars.

[Violet]

does anyone know of any good spots to dive or snorkel for your own fish in or around the Mississippi Gulf Coast?

[firewill65]

wow..after reading the FFWCC...in Florida, we cant take anything according to that. Not even a grain of sand! I'll stick to the don't ask, don't tell method of collecting!

[Von_Rahvin]

I have collected fish for ~10 years now, I paid for a few fish tanks collecting tropicals. You need to learn the regulations and live by them. If you get caught with illegal fish it is not a small crime. Depending on the officer and the number of illegal critters rocks etc that you have in your possesion, you can loose alot, including you boat truck all the gear aboard and still serve jail time. Depending on the things it can also be considered a felony. Is a fish or a rock worth losing your right to vote and do alot of other things?

I'll stick to the don't ask, don't tell method of collecting!

if you have the gear to collect the officer will assume that you know what you are talking about. to avoid confusion i kept and still do keep an updated print out of all the rules and regulations on board. There are plenty of things that can be collected legally, the things that are regulated are usually done so for a reason.

[Zooguy]

What Von said, big time. However Im allways supprised that they ask you what the fish is then they look it up in there book. The book they us dosnt have pictures, hint hint.
I had to explain once that a zoanthid wasnt coral, and then had to tap dance to take a coke bottle 1/4 covered with them. Because the bottle had sea growth on it. Now had I scrapped the zoos off the bottle Id be fine. And after taking the zoos off the bottle as a legal collection, I could then take the now clean bottle. But the bottle with the zoos on it is a no no. Go figure. Oh never take a rock or even the sand, no sand from under the waterline/reef. Evadently the ocean is in short supply of sand.

[sytanek]

Where do guys go in Florida to catch fish? And what kind have you found locally? Am currently looking into the laws, and eventually wouldnt mind going for my own fish. Any info would be awesome!!!

[Von_Rahvin]

you can find lionfish wild locally if you know where to look, but there is a bounty on their heads.

[fishome25]

the lions are here to stay I think they are too well established to be removed.

[boombadan]

do you guys no anywhere there is a reef close to massachusetts,rockport Maine or Myrtle beach South Caralina?
thankks

[boombadan]

can u pm me if u know anywhere....thanks

[alikatoes]

Check out the link, it has some pics of a fish that a friend and I caught about a week ago.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1038812