I would love to find a place where I could dive/snorkel on the atlantic or gulf coast that I could dive and see some reefs and maybe collect some fish to bring back home. I am starting to look for vacation destinations for around July and I would like to make this a part of my vacation. I know some places are protected and collecting is prohibited. I figured you guys would know where to look.
Planning a vacation I can snorkel and collect some fish
- Thread starter jmccown
- Start date
As someone who is looking to get into this as a hobby and who also dives year round....i find myself in a personal conflict.
The thought of you going snorkeling and collecting fish to bring back for your tank is just wrong in my eyes....however that would be nothing compared to what is done daily all over the world for this hobby.
The thought of having a mini-reef in my living room when I only get two weeks out of the year to do reef diving is quite appealing...but then I think of my point above.
Anyone else think like this? How do you justify it? Are you giving your species a longer life span than in the wild etc??
The thought of you going snorkeling and collecting fish to bring back for your tank is just wrong in my eyes....however that would be nothing compared to what is done daily all over the world for this hobby.
The thought of having a mini-reef in my living room when I only get two weeks out of the year to do reef diving is quite appealing...but then I think of my point above.
Anyone else think like this? How do you justify it? Are you giving your species a longer life span than in the wild etc??
The thought of you going snorkeling and collecting fish to bring back for your tank is just wrong in my eyes....however that would be nothing compared to what is done daily all over the world for this hobby.
I do coolect for my tank and sympathize with how you are feeling about this. Is it wrong to collect specimens from the wild to bring back to our tanks? Only god knows for sure. But in nature isn't it survival of the fittest? I have seen the affects of red tides and how thousands, if not more, fish are killed.
All I know is that the water conditions of where I catch my fish are quit often far worse that the waters in my tank. And I feel that I am giving my catch a respit from the regors of the wild.
Just venting.
If you do collect for your tank make sure you are able to care for what every you bring to the surface. Most creatures you find in the costal US are cold water creatures and will require chillers. Also if you are diving be sure to properly bring any creatures to the surface so that their swim blader does not burst. Once you get the creatures be sure you have a plan for getting them home. This is quite often the toughest part. When I collect on diving trips half my expedition is filled with styre boxes battery powered air filters etc. Nothing is sader than taking a creature from their home to have them die on your way home.
cutnup
Member
1st of all it isnt illegal to collect fish, plants, inverts or even some corals. http://myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recharvestmls.htm
all you need is a valid fishing licenses. you can get a florida non-resident fishing license 3-day for 6.50 7 day for 16.50 or 1 year for 31.50. some places you cant take nothing from there john pennekamp is protected i believe but there is plenty of other places you can go that was just an example. its a state park i believe. do some research thats why the internet is so great. now as far as ethics go its up to you. i dont believe its so wrong to take stuff from the ocean as long as you take what is legal. there is scientists that watch the reefs and if they say you can take 20 hermits a day then take them its not like your here everyday taking them and selling them etc. the ocean will replenish itself just fine.its when you start smuggling the live rock and taking more than the bag limits that upsets me. thats just being greedy.ok thats enough on ethics! now if your going to drive here and home buy a power inverter hook it up to a pump, filter, protein skimmer, whatever you need to do to keep them alive in a cooler preferably cause it will keep the temp stable. and with the inverter you dont have to worry about batteries you just plug it in your ciggarette ligther and go. my .02. take it easy
all you need is a valid fishing licenses. you can get a florida non-resident fishing license 3-day for 6.50 7 day for 16.50 or 1 year for 31.50. some places you cant take nothing from there john pennekamp is protected i believe but there is plenty of other places you can go that was just an example. its a state park i believe. do some research thats why the internet is so great. now as far as ethics go its up to you. i dont believe its so wrong to take stuff from the ocean as long as you take what is legal. there is scientists that watch the reefs and if they say you can take 20 hermits a day then take them its not like your here everyday taking them and selling them etc. the ocean will replenish itself just fine.its when you start smuggling the live rock and taking more than the bag limits that upsets me. thats just being greedy.ok thats enough on ethics! now if your going to drive here and home buy a power inverter hook it up to a pump, filter, protein skimmer, whatever you need to do to keep them alive in a cooler preferably cause it will keep the temp stable. and with the inverter you dont have to worry about batteries you just plug it in your ciggarette ligther and go. my .02. take it easy
cutnup
Member
beaker99 quote:
The thought of you going snorkeling and collecting fish to bring back for your tank is just wrong in my eyes....however that would be nothing compared to what is done daily all over the world for this hobby.
I do coolect for my tank and sympathize with how you are feeling about this. Is it wrong to collect specimens from the wild to bring back to our tanks? Only god knows for sure. But in nature isn't it survival of the fittest? I have seen the affects of red tides and how thousands, if not more, fish are killed.
All I know is that the water conditions of where I catch my fish are quit often far worse that the waters in my tank. And I feel that I am giving my catch a respit from the regors of the wild.
Just venting.
wow you sure did contradict yourself there
The thought of you going snorkeling and collecting fish to bring back for your tank is just wrong in my eyes....however that would be nothing compared to what is done daily all over the world for this hobby.
I do coolect for my tank and sympathize with how you are feeling about this. Is it wrong to collect specimens from the wild to bring back to our tanks? Only god knows for sure. But in nature isn't it survival of the fittest? I have seen the affects of red tides and how thousands, if not more, fish are killed.
All I know is that the water conditions of where I catch my fish are quit often far worse that the waters in my tank. And I feel that I am giving my catch a respit from the regors of the wild.
Just venting.
wow you sure did contradict yourself there
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wow you sure did contradict yourself there [/B][/QUOTE]
If you read my post more carefully you would have seen that the first sentence is a quote from jepuskar's post. And if you go fishing at all you would be real upset with how fisherman treat their catch. Even I am appalled at the waste of many of these cast net fisherman. Or how about the bycatch of commercial; fisherman?
wow you sure did contradict yourself there [/B][/QUOTE]
If you read my post more carefully you would have seen that the first sentence is a quote from jepuskar's post. And if you go fishing at all you would be real upset with how fisherman treat their catch. Even I am appalled at the waste of many of these cast net fisherman. Or how about the bycatch of commercial; fisherman?
cutnup
Member
no one in this hobby should have a problem with taken a couple fish out of the ocean because thats is where it all comes from. so what if it comes from indo. or florida....there is not one person in this hobby that their whole tank is aquacultured, and even if there was it would have had to come out the ocean some time
yardboy
Advanced Bewilderment
When it's legal, I don't see the difference in catching a red snapper and eating it or catching a pygmy angel and bringing it home for my tank. Feeling ethically confused is a little like loving steak but not wanting anyone to kill the cow.
Here in Panama City Beach, the jetties are crowded all summer with tropicals that hatched or floated in as fry and then die when the water gets cold in the winter. It doesn't hurt my feelings to catch them, saves gas having to fly them here from Fiji anyway.
Here in Panama City Beach, the jetties are crowded all summer with tropicals that hatched or floated in as fry and then die when the water gets cold in the winter. It doesn't hurt my feelings to catch them, saves gas having to fly them here from Fiji anyway.
