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Unread 05/16/2013, 06:33 PM   #1
Chronicj7
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Shipping my reef from Hawaii question

I've been living in Hawaii and have a small reef I'd like to bring to the mainland with me. None of the corals or fish have been collected from the ocean mind you. I spoke with FedEx and they said it shouldn't be an issue. Though, some of the whole sellers here said its difficult to get corals out of the state.

The FedEx rep told me its documented as "ornamental marine life" and wouldn't go through any tsa machines at the airport but I want to be 100% positive that I'm not doing anything illegal.

Any insight would be appreciated.


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Unread 05/16/2013, 06:37 PM   #2
NanoJosh
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I wouldn't see it as illegal as long as ur not shipping the kind of macro that's illegal in Cali to Cali other than that it's animals that you aqua cultured it not from one country to another. But I may be wrong. Hopefully some one with an experience like this will chime in. Good luck with the move.


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Unread 05/16/2013, 09:44 PM   #3
Chronicj7
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I guess my only concern is that tsa or agriculture is most likely not going to know the difference from what is locally cultured vs my aqua cultured corals.


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Unread 05/16/2013, 10:14 PM   #4
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Me thinks Murphy's Law will kick in and you'll wish you had just started over at the new location.


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Unread 05/17/2013, 01:01 AM   #5
A_Z
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All corals commonly kept in aquariums are illegal to posses or import into Hawaii. (Unless your a research institution or public aquarium, in which case the permit is issued to the business not the person, and they state they are not to be kept as "pets")
The only corals you can keep are the locally found non reef building corals. Of which zoanthids are the only notable ones. (The others like Octocoral, Leather Coral and a Sea Fans are never traded).

Also what do you mean locally cultured vs aquacultured? That is the same, unless you meant locally collected.
If your current sig is correct and you currently posses SPS, I would recommend to immediately voluntarily surrender the organisms to the DOA or DAR. You don't want to face the possible fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars.



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Unread 05/17/2013, 11:17 AM   #6
Dierkes
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I'm from Hawaii. Went to nuuanu elementary, kawananakoa intermediate and Roosevelt high. Any coral is illegal in hawaii. A friends father got caught and he had to pay $200 in fines for each coral and 2 years in prison.


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Unread 05/17/2013, 11:57 AM   #7
NanoJosh
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So how do you guys have reef tanks


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Unread 05/17/2013, 01:54 PM   #8
Adamw327
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Dont use fedex... use UPS if you can


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Unread 05/17/2013, 03:42 PM   #9
Rensmif
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dierkes View Post
I'm from Hawaii. Went to nuuanu elementary, kawananakoa intermediate and Roosevelt high. Any coral is illegal in hawaii. A friends father got caught and he had to pay $200 in fines for each coral and 2 years in prison.
Are you seriously saying saying that you have first hand knowledge of a man who served time in prison for a saltwater coral in a reef tank ?

I dont believe you!

neither does this agency - http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/licenses_permits.html

I feel it is more helpful to say nothing rather than to give what appears to be completly false information. IMO


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Unread 05/17/2013, 06:18 PM   #10
kegogut
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Pwnt ^^


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Unread 05/17/2013, 09:13 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rensmif View Post
Are you seriously saying saying that you have first hand knowledge of a man who served time in prison for a saltwater coral in a reef tank ?

I dont believe you!
You would be amazed all the petty crimes people go to prison over in the "land of the free". Even Class A Misdemeanors carry a 1 yr max (per count) in most states. All it takes is having a crappy lawyer, and a DA willing to capitalize on that.


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Unread 05/17/2013, 11:44 PM   #12
Chronicj7
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Getting a bit off topic here. Sounds like a LFS on the mainland has a distributor who can get corals from here. I will try to contact them and fine out if I can go through them.


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Unread 05/18/2013, 08:05 AM   #13
NeilFox
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This thread blows my mind! What is wrong with your government?


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Unread 05/18/2013, 08:23 AM   #14
kegogut
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You have to beware of certain things that become invasive in parts of the country. Not necessarily corals but marine fish for sure. Look at the Lionfish problem Hawaii is having,look at the python/Lizard problem florida is having. Here in the midwest the asian carp is a huge problem in the rivers.

People cant be allowed to bring anything they want where theres a chance the animal can get loose,breed and destroy the ecosystem of that region.


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Current Tank Info: 225 mixed w/ 225 sump 550 lbs live rock,3x MarinePure ceramic blocks,Skimz SM201,Geo 618 CR,Vectra L1,DOS automatic water changes,3x 250w MH w/ 4x actinic T5,All ran by Apex thru Fusion.--57 community tank w/ OR T-247,120 nem tank.
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Unread 05/18/2013, 09:56 AM   #15
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+ 1 we have the same lionfish problem in Florida It shouldn't be a problem but not everybody practices responsible reefing. I may have missed it in the thread but what area of the mainland are you moving to


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Unread 05/18/2013, 01:07 PM   #16
Michigan Mike
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So the moral of the story is you can't have much of a reef tank in Hawaii so you better learn to swim/snorkel/scuba dive.

I suggest -
Getting rid of your illegal coral (maybe all of it) before you (possibly) get in trouble & start over on the mainland where you can get much more coral for your new tank.


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Unread 05/20/2013, 03:03 PM   #17
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From stateside, you cannot ship any live aquatic animal without a permit. I cannot ship live rotifers or copepods into HI, and can only get non live phytoplankton in on special permit.

In HI you cannot keep any stony coral. There are a few endemic soft corals you can keep, some inverts and of course fish.


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Unread 05/20/2013, 03:08 PM   #18
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Stony coral
Unlawful to take, break or damage, with any implement, any stony coral from the waters of the State, including any reef or mushroom coral.
Unlawful to sell or offer for sale any stony coral.
HAR 13-95
http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/regulated_fish_mia.html


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Unread 05/22/2013, 05:04 AM   #19
Chronicj7
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My sig is for my main tank that I have on the mainland. It's in NM where I will be for a short while until I move again. I only have zoas in the tank now but I would like to bring them back with me if possible. FedEx nor UPS seem to have overnight shipping from here. My only option would be to pack them in my luggage.


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Unread 05/22/2013, 03:34 PM   #20
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Man I would be scared of TSA with them packed. They will scan in the back and pitch them if need be and you'll have no clue until you get off and get questioned. No way to explain yourself face to face until after the fact.


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Unread 05/25/2013, 12:55 PM   #21
Chronicj7
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I spoke with customs/TSA and they said it would really only be an issue if any with agriculture. For those of you that have been to Hawaii, EVERYTHING goes through agriculture before you board or check luggage. I'm assuming its the same when you send packages.


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Unread 07/04/2013, 09:26 AM   #22
jimlin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dierkes View Post
I'm from Hawaii. Went to nuuanu elementary, kawananakoa intermediate and Roosevelt high. Any coral is illegal in hawaii. A friends father got caught and he had to pay $200 in fines for each coral and 2 years in prison.
what kind of corals did he get caught with? the local stores sell zoas which are the only corals you are going to find for sale in the islands.


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Unread 07/04/2013, 11:08 AM   #23
hollback
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Originally Posted by GreshamH View Post
From stateside, you cannot ship any live aquatic animal without a permit. I cannot ship live rotifers or copepods into HI, and can only get non live phytoplankton in on special permit.

In HI you cannot keep any stony coral. There are a few endemic soft corals you can keep, some inverts and of course fish.
Really? I've sent live copepods to a friend in HI with no issues. It was a few years back but they made it fine and weren't confiscated. I guess we never thought to look into the legality of shipping pods. Luckily we haven't and don't plan to do it again.


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Unread 07/04/2013, 02:21 PM   #24
lucky_snapper
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MY suggestion would be TO NOT USE Fedex or UPS because neither one is very good with shipping aquadics. To put it plain and simple they do not care if your livestock lives or dies its just a hassle for them to deal with and they would rather not. My suggestion is to ship them air freight like all the wholesalers do. Just contact delta freight or the airline of your choice and you can pack them up and ship them. It is the fastest and cheapest way to ship. Rates for me in the past have run around $50-$100 shipping from LA to FL. I would imagine that it would be similar for you. Either way this is the best method to ensure your livestock will make it to your destination.


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Unread 07/06/2013, 03:30 PM   #25
jimlin
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Really? I've sent live copepods to a friend in HI with no issues. It was a few years back but they made it fine and weren't confiscated. I guess we never thought to look into the legality of shipping pods. Luckily we haven't and don't plan to do it again.
ya, i tried to buy pods here in hawaii, but was told only local hawaiian pods are legal to own in hawaii.


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