Buy Fish on Vacation in Maui

rstark33

rstark33

New member
I will be in Maui at the end of Septemer, right when I expect my tank to be ready for some fish....
I know Flame Angels, a few Tangs, and a few other fish I plan to stck are collected in HI.
I thought it would be cool to but them there and save some money.
Anyone ever dome this before?
 
I think it would be a great idea for a fish that you can't get very easily on the mainland. My guess is that you won't save much.
 
I was on th Big Island 8 years ago and bought a Chevron Tang for $30. The day we left I picked him up at the pet store, the guy bagged it real nice with O2 in the bag. Sat in my lap for the 10 hour ride home and went through customs no prob. ( show him to the customs officers and don't put them through the X-ray machine. LOL) He's still with us and goes by the name of Kona. I would think you could still do it but I would say to keep it simple with one or two fish and find a relaible dealer or store. I beleive there's a place that sells tank raised fish in Hawaii but am not sure which island their on.
 
i hava a friend that did this not to long ago and had no problem's, i think he paid an extra fee like $75 like a pet ticket and they placed the fish with the undercarrige...just make sure the petstore knows you are going to be bringing these back with you so that they plae enough oxiben and stress solution in the bag to ease their trip...
 
I have bought clams in the past from clamsdirect (in San Diego)and brought them to Portland for a friend. I just had them box it up like they were shipping it and carried it on the plane.
Looks like good feedback so far.
I am hoping the fish that are caught in HI are much cheaper there. $30 for a chevron is a great price and it is nice to know they haven't been shipped 2 times before they get to the LFS.
Thanks for the info experiences...
I searched out a decent store in Kahului Maui by the airport. I might give them a call to see what they can do.
 
man they are really cheap out there, i wish you were close by so i could order more... my friend purchased an whole bunch of fish with like $220 or so... nice fish too...
 
Also check with the airline that you are using. Some only let you bring fish if they are bagged and then placed in a 1 piece styro box for shipping (not a card board box with stryro linning inside). Also make sure you keep proof that the fish was purchased at a store.
 
I am going to Oahu and checked into this. It is not a problem bringing fish back with you. I found that Delta will make you do paperwork to become a Delta Dash customer to ship the fish and then it will cost around 100 for the shipment. They will nto allow you to bring them on the plane. Continental makes you pay for a pet ticket. United Airline will allow you to bring them on the plane as your carry on bag with no extra charges. I tried very hard to get an United flight but no luck for my area. Maybe something to consider.
 
I'll have to check that out. I am flying on Hawaiian. I wonder if you just put them in a plain brown box, that fit into an overhead compartment, if they would ever notice. I fly every other week for work and 95% of the time they don't even notice you exist.
When I tool the clams on Alaskan, the box was labeled "Live Fish" for shipping. The flight attendants even asked what I had and thought it was pretty cool. They even put it in the large spot behind first class to keep it extra safe for me!
 
For those of you who are visiting Oahu stop by Coral Fish Hawaii out in Aiea and Modern Pet Center in Honolulu (by the Wal-Mart off Kapiolani Blvd.) Randy and crew out in Aiea catch a lot of fish themselves and usually have some stellar local specimens. Frank over at Modern gets some great specimens in as well, although most of his stuff is shipped in I believe. However you have to stop in there on a friday when he gets a shipment. It is a mad house in that tiny store but you will see some nice stuff!
 
If yall are in Oahu You can come collecting with me (I have all my permits). I took a couple from California once but they got a little sea sick on my 19ft boat. Other than that I think they had fun. He was stoked to see a fish collector in action (or inaction we had some junk spots that day). Just bring a bunch of lemongrass chicken sandwiches and we will have a dive day! I have also had other hobbiest come to my house and pick thier fish out of my system. Its always cool to talk story.

Not to shut down our LFS but they wont save you much money. Coral fish is quite expensive, as is Modern pet but you get twice the quality at modern (I am in no way associated with either of the two). Modern pet is right in town and they really know what they are doing. No comment regarding the latter.

As for shipping, I use several airlines but you need an account for a whole box of fish. I can help yall with professional packing equiptment if you need a hand. If you are only transporting a few then most airlines will allow carry on's. US Customs is no problem at all. Just check with your airlines.

If your going to Maui be careful were you go. If I am not mistaken they have more shark attacks than any other island in the state.
 
Thanks for the info. I am going to be on Maui the whole time. I saw that there is a store over by the airport, but haven't called them yet.
I dive alot and will be diving/spearfishing most days. Can I get a permit to catch fish? Would I have actually be able to catch anything with my 6 inch green net (LOL!!!) ????
Seriously, any tips you may have are appreciated.
Thanks,
 
Hawaii is part of the United States so there are no Customs involved. Only Hawaii's agriculture will be checking your carry ons and baggages but its mainly for illegal plants and fruits and the TSA for contrabands.

I am also going to Oahu in Oct and flying with United. Good thing to know that United Air allow live fish carry on. But the Crosshatch pair I want to get is to large for a carry on. Was hoping I can just check in the box and mark it Fragile. I still need to check with United. Anyone else can chime in on this?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7769511#post7769511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rstark33
Thanks for the info. I am going to be on Maui the whole time. I saw that there is a store over by the airport, but haven't called them yet.
I dive alot and will be diving/spearfishing most days. Can I get a permit to catch fish? Would I have actually be able to catch anything with my 6 inch green net (LOL!!!) ????
Seriously, any tips you may have are appreciated.
Thanks,
Click to expand...

Dont know of any stores in Maui. I think you could get a permit, just look up the State of Hawaii Deptartment of Land and Natural Resurces (DLNR), Department of Aquatic Resources (DAR) to be specific. They have a permit for commercial fisherman like myself, and a personal permit for just a few specimens. The personal one is free, but I am not sure what the requirements are. It would be quite difficult to catch anything with a net like that. I have custom made stanless steel nets with special netting (commercial permit is for netting).
 
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