Legal Collection Trip Setup or "LCTS"

[Young Frankenstein]

After talking with the captain of the party boat at Robies Marina, mile marker 77.5, Islamorada, he said "you can collect by adding the ornamental license, that only costs a few bucks more than the regular fishing license"
The idea is :
1.Get the licenses
2.Go down to Robies marina and rent a boat or boats, depends how many people will be there.
3.Get familiar with what we can legally collect.
4.Go down there with slurp guns, nets etc. all the gear and collect, legally fish and corals.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

The first step would be to research the license part.
Second what we can collect.
Third cost of the trip.
Fourth how we can reduce the cost.
5th book it and go

 

[Young Frankenstein]

Sentimental Reefers Beware or "SRBs"
Theres no difference between going to the LFS and getting a fish or coral, someone collected that also.

 

[jimbo78]

I'm pretty sure that the only corals you can collect are rics and gorgonians. As far as ornamentals I think they are covered by the regular saltwater permit. I've never seen a ornamental add on. You can find all the info at myfwc.com. On the pages with the salt regs they list which ornamentals you can't take. There are only a handful.

If there is a group that wants to go try doing this we have a place on the water in the keys. We could work something out where I provide the boat and everyone else pays for the fuel. I also know plenty of good spots with ornamentals, but I still haven't seen any rics.

 

[ReefWreak]

I was gonna say...

You don't need any ornamental license. Standard saltwater fishing lisc., and you csn collect anything approved on the list. Basically rics, blue zoanthids, and condi anemonies are what peoole would want that they can get.

Corals are okay to collect as long as they're not connected to rock (hard to find) and not on the list of forbidden corals (all atlantic acros are not collectable).

 

[jimbo78]

I wish I could find some blue zoas. Never seen any. What depth have you found them at.

 

[ReefWreak]

I remember diving around Pennecamp we saw some. It was a large ship wreck, deep enough that you had to dive (50-60ft) but it was still not too deep. There are some really sick dives that can be done out there. Collecting there is illigal, however I'm sure that the corals can be found elsewhere.

The blue zoos can be seen on the websites of any of the coral/livestock sales places who dive out of the keys. I forget the names of the companies right now, but I know I've seen them around.

 

[jdhuyvetter]

You should reword this......Gorgonians are ok to collect. Sea Fans are not, all stony corals are not. Ricordeas are if you collect individual polyps only. there is also an aggregate bag limit on invertebrates. I think it is 20, but I'm not sure.

FYI, if you get 5 or 6 rics clustered on a rock, that is considered live rock. Same with zoos. Sadly, the amount of rock that is considered excessive with zoos and rics seems to be up to the individual officer that boards your boat!!!!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13058888#post13058888 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefWreak
I was gonna say...

You don't need any ornamental license. Standard saltwater fishing lisc., and you csn collect anything approved on the list. Basically rics, blue zoanthids, and condi anemonies are what peoole would want that they can get.

Corals are okay to collect as long as they're not connected to rock (hard to find) and not on the list of forbidden corals (all atlantic acros are not collectable).

 

[jdhuyvetter]

Here's the regs. Bag limit is 20 with a max of 6 gorgonians.

myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recharvestmls.htm

 

[jdhuyvetter]

http://myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recharvestmls.htm

 

[ReefWreak]

That's why I said "Anything approved on the list," as I was hoping that people would read the list and not take my post as the clear outlines of what is legal. But then I realised that this is the internet, and they would, so you're right.

for anyone looking to collect, RTFA! Read the article, print it out, memorize it, laminate it and take it with you when you go collecting. Just don't do anything it says not to do! But hey, if you've got the $$$ anyone remember the LFS owner who took 300 (or 3000?) lbs of liverock and got caught red handed bringing it back in his boat? Last I heard he got a big fine and mostly a slap on the wrist. ::shrug::

 

[jdhuyvetter]

I thought we were on the same page, just wanted to be sure.

For everyone else, plan on going for fun, not to collect enough critters to cover gas and boat. About 10 years ago, I had a conversation in a LFS in Atlanta that went like this:

Brad: Hey didn't your flame scallop die? They are on sale.
Me: Yes, but I know a spot down in the Keys to get my own.
Brad: You mean you would spend $300 to $400 on gas and hotels just to get your own?
Me: Yes!
Brad When are we leaving?

FYI, gas and hotels were a lot cheaper then. We left two weekends later and got 3 or 4 flames.

 

[ReefWreak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13059275#post13059275 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdhuyvetter
I thought we were on the same page, just wanted to be sure.

For everyone else, plan on going for fun, not to collect enough critters to cover gas and boat. About 10 years ago, I had a conversation in a LFS in Atlanta that went like this:

Brad: Hey didn't your flame scallop die? They are on sale.
Me: Yes, but I know a spot down in the Keys to get my own.
Brad: You mean you would spend $300 to $400 on gas and hotels just to get your own?
Me: Yes!
Brad When are we leaving?

FYI, gas and hotels were a lot cheaper then. We left two weekends later and got 3 or 4 flames.

Sounds just like my dad, when he wants to go flying.

"Wanna go get some breakfast"
"Uhh okay"
"K let's go to Seabring (on the north shore of lake Okeechobee)"
"okay"

Or, to deliver corals versus paying the $6 UPS ground shipping. Any occasion to justify him going flying. Spending $200 in gas to go get breakfast or avoid paying the $6 shipping. I guess that's just part of the hobby.... You fishermen could go to publix or even a fish market and buy something just as fresh as you would have caught.... But you'd rather spend your afternoon out on a boat in the hot sun, rocking back and forth, bleh I'm getting nauseus thinking about it It's all about the experience....

 

[Young Frankenstein]

1. Do we all agree catching fish is leagal with a fishing license ?
2. Can we start making a list with post picks and names of corals we can colect?

 

[Young Frankenstein]

For blue zoas we can take a hamer and chizel with us.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

Lulio, Shen, Eddie, Roger, Manny and the rest of the gang get your snorkles and fins together.......we are going fishing!!

 

[Jojoyojimbi]

i'm game, if it's this weekend, next weekend we'll be in jamaica

 

[Jojoyojimbi]

actually, we leave the 9th, so i spose it could be next weekend too sorta

 

[blackthunda77]

im game. ive posted recently of some of the stuff ive collected, some pistol shrimp, porcillain crabs, cowries, ect. all with some gloves, and a slurp gun. oh yea, and a hand net.

 

[RicksReefs]

a hammer and chisel will get you popped in the keys. use a flat tipped dive knife to wiggle under the mat/polyp and into just the top layer of soft rock. IIRC, zoa mats can't exceed 3.5"x3.5" in size.

blue zoas are all over the lower east coast. they're probably right outside your own doorstep. look on the rocks and seawalls in the non touristy spots. I find blues mostly in 15 feet or less. many get exposed at low tide, so they usually like high light and some nutrients.