svt_guido Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Hey Reefers.!. I’m going to Hawaii in July. Do any of you know if I can bring back a yellow tang? I’ll be staying in the island of Kona. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 33 minutes ago, svt_guido said: Hey Reefers.!. I’m going to Hawaii in July. Do any of you know if I can bring back a yellow tang? I’ll be staying in the island of Kona. You actually can surprisingly but I am not sure if oregon or Washington has any regulations prohibiting their import. There are regulations in how you catch them and you can’t buy from someone legally who has caught one but I imagine there are people illegally selling them. There are several threads in other forums that mention people trying to collect inverts. I would think trying to catch a wild tang in the ocean with a net would be easier said then done and a whole lot more trouble and risk than it’s worth. Here’s the link regarding regulations https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/fishing/faqs/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eatfrenchfries Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 (edited) You would just need to find an area in Hawaii where collection is allowed. If you have time to kill there are a few collection/research agencies I know in Kailua - Kona that exhibit to the public. HOST - Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology has a facility (Indo Pacific Sea Farms is one of the big ones for university students to study with) for clam farming, phyto extraction, seaweed, etc. All sorts of fun projects. They pretty much have their fingers dipped in everything and a lot of things do go through them first. They have a registry of people that have legal giant clam farms on the islands as well as those who work to collect fish/inverts for study and culture. Through them I was able to recieve a quite a few tours of aquaculture facilities within the park. If you have diving certification/expierence then catching your own wildlife is a lot easier than you think. Fish are harder than inverts but any of the inverts worth taking are harder to find and you'd need to look when the sun is going down which I wouldn't advise without a local to watch you (they wont help, just make sure you dont die). You can have your item of collection vetted at the science park first and then at TSA. Biggest issue is anything you want to bring past TSA has to be in a clear container that they'll want to handle without a care in the world. They'll dump any particulate matter. (Literally imagine the girl from finding Nemo shaking your fish, I wanted to grab the agent and jostle them around to see if they liked it). Already stressful enough collecting wildlife and flying it back in a small container. Don't want someone ruining your chances even more. Biggest thing I can stress is if you are planning to go through with collecting your own fish and bringing it back then you'll have to deal with all the criticism made by locals as you proudly parade your catch home. They frown even on those with legal permits because of a few people who like to take advantage for $ but more importantly theyre pissed youre taking from their home. Everyone gets lumped together with that bad bunch. I got heckled more than inspected. PSA: know your airline rules and go over them front to back. Very helpful to have printed pages of the exact regulations you're trying not to break for the agents to go over. They don't have as much expierence with your situation as you think If you know someone with an aquarium on the island, be their best friend. It'll help you keep your catches alive until you're ready to go. Big LFS should do it for a fee and guide you through the process. .........fishing was never banned. Collection was........ Edited May 5, 2023 by Eatfrenchfries 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eatfrenchfries Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 Acrylic net for catching. Brightly colored wands for coralling fish. Helps if you have two people. One person to push the fish towards the other who will lay in wait to snatch it up. You might think still water is good but the fish will sense your movements better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewyblunts Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 2 hours ago, Eatfrenchfries said: I got heckled more than inspected. born and raised in hawaii. id be careful about what beach youre at trying to scoop up fish. people are not going to happy about it. you arent even really allowed to take sand from the beach. if you're making a big show of it, and clearly look like a tourist, i dont think people are going to be very happy. i wouldnt be. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 12 minutes ago, chewyblunts said: born and raised in hawaii. id be careful about what beach youre at trying to scoop up fish. people are not going to happy about it. you arent even really allowed to take sand from the beach. if you're making a big show of it, and clearly look like a tourist, i dont think people are going to be very happy. i wouldnt be. I could certainly see the locals having a huge issue with someone taking ornamental fish from their ocean particularly as those who were in the trade were shut down. I’m surprised you don’t even need a license. I’m guessing because it would impact those who are fishing for sport and food. Seems like a lot of places where you could get into trouble and considering an agent made me throw out my oatmeal even though it was legal I’m certainly not trusting them to know what to do if I bring a fish on board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewyblunts Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 yeah its really all up to the tsa dude. additionally when you leave hawaii there is a second agriculture specific security checkpoint you have to go through. ive seen them take fruits from people before so idk i could easily see them taking a fish lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 45 minutes ago, chewyblunts said: yeah its really all up to the tsa dude. additionally when you leave hawaii there is a second agriculture specific security checkpoint you have to go through. ive seen them take fruits from people before so idk i could easily see them taking a fish lol Totally . I know when people go to coral shows and bring frags on TSA people would sometimes give them a hard time. I will just buy the captive bred ones from biota. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talkalot82 Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 We were there a few months ago and we wer we told no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoeCrew Posted May 7, 2023 Share Posted May 7, 2023 I think biota is really perfect. It is directly shipped from their facility and minimal concern regarding adaptability and illnesses/parasites. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted May 18, 2023 Share Posted May 18, 2023 Fish yes, anything else.. No. I emailed the ministry of the environment about taking some sand home. Nope. Again.. not good optics at all catching and bagging up reef inhabitants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
concrEETdonkey Posted May 19, 2023 Share Posted May 19, 2023 Unrelated to the fish catching, but if you’ve never been, make sure to snorkel at two step. It’s a few mins south of Kona. It’s the best snorkeling I’ve ever done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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