Importing Your Fish
Contents:
- Bringing fish from Canada to U.S.
by Doug Brown <debrown/kodak.com> (Fri, 1 May 1998)
- Bringing fish from Canada to U.S.
by Doug Brown <debrown/kodak.com> (Fri, 1 May 1998)
- RE: I'm gonna be a criminal!!!!
by Matthew Bourne <matthewb/hothouse.com.au> (Wed, 3 Jun 1998)
- Is it SAFE/LEGAL to bring fish on plane???
by joshua/veritas.com (Joshua Levy) (27 Apr 1994)
- RE: A. steindachneri
by Matthew Bourne <matthewb/hothouse.com.au> (Tue, 3 Nov 1998)
by Doug Brown <debrown/kodak.com>
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998
To: apisto/majordomo.pobox.com
The inspection fee is supposed to apply to all imports of wild animals, but
as far as I know will always be waived if you are just transporting small
amounts. The actual fee is $55 but administrative fees are tacked on at
some sites, and you may also have to pay additional fees for overtime and
such with complicated inspections. In addition, you are also supposed to
have an import/export license from the US Fish and Wildlife Service which
costs $50. This all seems to be of little concern to with inspectors if you
declare your fish and assure them that they are not on the CITES list. They
are much tougher with birds for example.
For the Fish and Wildlife position on captive bred species check:
http://dataadmin.irm.r9.fws.gov/r9dia/captive.html
BTW, look for regulations on importing potentially invasive species in
addition to those on the CITES list in the next few years. Catfish and carp
lovers may get hit hard.
>If the fish were wild-caught, I'd have to pay the $95 inspection fee for the
>shipment. That's what I pay (plus the import license fee) when I bring in
>wild-caught fish via Canada. But since my fish are tank raised, it might be
>different. The inspector said she'd call Washington and research it.
>I'll pass
>on and tell you what I find out (whenever I hear back).
-Doug Brown
debrown-at-kodak.com
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by Doug Brown <debrown/kodak.com>
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998
To: apisto/majordomo.pobox.com
The Fish and Wildlife import/export license I mentioned is for commercial
shipments, and is not needed by hobbyists. I just realized that I might not
have made that clear.
-Doug Brown
debrown-at-kodak.com
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by Matthew Bourne <matthewb/hothouse.com.au>
Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998
To: "'apisto/majordomo.pobox.com'" <apisto/majordomo.pobox.com>
I'll explain how the Australian laws work in regards to wildlife in
general (and fish in specifics)...This isn't a legal opinion, its just
my interpretation of the relevant Act of Parliament.
The law effectively only covers the import/export of fish (specifically
the state of New South Wales as some other states have a state law that
works in conjunction with the Federal Law)... Now this law specifically
states in its Addendums the species that can be imported or the specific
breed that can be imported, and the same exists for a export list (that
is imported/exported without specific "applied for" clearance from
Customs/Quarantine)... Together with this list there is another which
specifically covers fish that CANNOT be imported/exported...
Any fish not on the OK listing but is also not on the BANNED listing can
be applied for with Customs, and if they give the OK, usually that
breed/species will appear in the next Addendum.. Though some cases arise
where one off clearance is provided.
>From memory plants are stated as being freely importable/exportable
without in-difference.
With the exception of the territory of Tasmania, as they have a problem
here as they are "outside" the boundries of the mainland Australia so
shipping from the mainland to Tasmania is treated as
exporting/importing)
There are a lot of fish currently making the rounds of the aquarium
market here in Australia which do not appear on these lists and yet are
legal, as they were brought into the country prior to this law and so
are immune to the law, as they are now locally bred in Australia...
This wildlife act also covers various other animals, birds, mammals,
etcetc..
If anyone is interested I can look for the URL to this Act so you can
get an idea how things operate in Australia...
This act is the primary act applying to this area, secondary to this is
the quarantine act that applies to the procedures of quarantining
animals on importation into Australia (all wildlife has to be
quarantined on entry to Australia - from memory)...
Cheers
Matthew Bourne
>----------
>From: Fredrik.Ljungberg-at-saab.se[SMTP:Fredrik.Ljungberg-at-saab.se]
>Sent: Monday, June 01, 1998 6:25 PM
>To: apisto-at-majordomo.pobox.com
>Subject: Re: I'm gonna be a criminal!!!!
>
>Hi all!
>
>I'm not getting in to a discuccion here since I don't know any specifics
>on the law Jan is talking about. I'm just adding that a few years
>back (10 or so) there was a lively discussion in Sweden and Germany
>(and it wouldn't surprise me if Holland was in there to) about 'positive
>lists'. These were intended to list animal species that we were allowed to
>keep, all non-listed species were forbidden. This has never really died,
>just been on hold probably because they realized that it's impossible to
>uphold, they make money from taxes and there are more important issues to
>deal with.
>
>
>Fredrik
>
>--
>Fredrik.Ljungberg-at-saab.se
>Saab Ab
>Flutter and Loads Department
>voice +46 13 18 54 60, fax +46 13 18 33 63
>
>
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>
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by joshua/veritas.com (Joshua Levy)
Date: 27 Apr 1994
Newsgroup: alt.aquaria,rec.aquaria
This post might make a good addition to the archives or the FAQ.
Or at least be a good starting point for one.
gcl0-at-PROBLEM_WITH_INEWS_DOMAIN_FILE (George Lin) writes:
>I think it's illegal to bring it from another country because they might
>get accidently relased in the local water and compete with the local
>fish
Bringing fish into the USA from other contries is legal if you fill out
the proper paperwork, which is one page long. It is trival to do.
Call up the US Department of Fish and Wildlife (ask for "enforcement")
and have them send you a form 3-177, and their pamphlet on wildlife laws.
The form is one side of one page (instructions on the back). The pamphlet
is a few pages long, and easy to read. As long as you are bringing back
the fish for personal use, and in your baggage, you should have nothing to
worry about. I filled out the form on the flight back.
In general the USF&W cares about these things in this order:
1. The fish must not be on the CITES list (endangered or threatened).
2. The fish must have been exported legally.
3. The fish must not be illegal to import. As I remember, the only
fish (or maybe the only freshwater fish) which is illegal to
import is a walking catfish, but this can change at any time.
The USF&W does not seem to care about:
Release into native waters.
State laws regulating fish.
When you enter the country mark on the little form that you have live
animals. Some inspector will want to see them. Show him/her your form
3-177. I had no problems. The inspector is supposed to collect these
forms and give them to USF&W, but mine just handed it back to me. If
you come back through an official "port of entry" there could be a real
USF&W officer there, instead of just the agricultural inspector. I do
not know what happens in this case.
DO NOT BRING BACK ANY PLANTS UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
Plant imports are not controled by the USF&W, but by someone else (FDA?).
They are much more paranoid. I believe that every plant you bring in
must be inspected, and this can take days.
All these could change at any time, of course, but that was the situtation
the last time I brought fish back with me from another country. In Feb
1994, I brought back about 21 X. helleri and H. bimaculata from Belize in
Centeral America.
Feel free to email or call if you have any questions.
Joshua Levy <joshua-at-veritas.com> 408-727-1222x253
by Matthew Bourne <matthewb/hothouse.com.au>
Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998
To: "'apisto/majordomo.pobox.com'" <apisto/majordomo.pobox.com>
><<Fish are almost impossible to ship into Australia, not because of the
>technical
>problems, but the bureaucratic ones. Unless you have an Aussie approved
>quarantine
>station outside of the country, all fish have to be quarantined at a
>government
>regulated and approved in-country quarantine station for several months. I
>guess we
>North American hobbyists shouldn't complain about access, should we? This
>would be a
>good thread for our Aussie friends to vent their spleens at government
>excesses and
>give the rest of us some idea of what could happen here?
>>>
>
>Like most of even the stupidest SEEMING govornment regulations, there is a
>logical reason for such a seemingly
Some of this information is incorrect. Here in Australia, in order to
receive shipments from overseas, the exporting facility MUST be an
Australian Government approved quarantine facility (and hold the
appropriate export to Australia permit) and the receiving facility MUST
also be an Australian Government approved quarantine facility (and hold
a Quarantine permit AND and import permit). On top of that, ALL fish
imported must go through 14 day quarantine in this country and have to
have also been in quarantine in the approved exporting facility for 14
days also.
To add frustration to all this, to become an approved Quarantine
facility, everything HAS to be sterile, all imported water/packaging
must be sterilised/destroyed - through approved/detailed methods. The
space between tanks in the facility have to be a minimum 75 cms wide,
and each tank must be permanently numbered and individual records MUST
be kept on what/and from where/and when stock have been in a individual
tank. Also, only one species is allowed per tank. Also imported stock
must be large enough to be positively identified and if not identifiable
by a Australian Quarantine inspector then that stock will be destroyed.
Unless some scientific reason/research permits have been granted, no
fish can be imported from a non approved foreign facility.
Oh and any species thats going to be imported MUST appear on the
approved import list. If it doesn't appear as an approved import, good
luck to the person who wants to challange Environment Australia's
ruling...
Heck even if we ship stock to/from Tasmania (a State of Australia) it is
considered to be exported/imported even though its still within
Australia.
Hey even Brine Shrimp Cysts have to go through a VERY rigorous process
before being approved for import, the foreign facility must treat the
cysts with bleach rinses and various other processes before even getting
Government approval to export them to australia.
This, In my opinion, is total beauracracy... If anybody wants me to send
them the digital documentation I have received from AQIS (Australian
Quarantine Inspection Services) I can send you a copy, email me
personally.
Cheers
Matt
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