Bringing snails/crabs through customs.

[jimmyhof]

A couple of weeks ago I read a post about bringing snails and Crabs back with you From Mexico. Well I did a test run - as I just returned from the bahamas. I brought back 7 snails that I found on some rocks near the beach.

I marked the box that said Snails on the declaration form and they sent me to the "Special" line for further inspection. Although there was no cavity search they suggested I not do it again because snails raise a lot of red flags. They are mostly concerned with non-Marine snails as an agricultural threat, but said their may be issues with endangered species.

Anyway to make a long story short it only took about an extra ten minutes and they let me have them. I am going to Mexico in a couple of weeks and plan to bring back more if I can find them near the beach where I am staying.

[rmougey]

As long as you declare them and state they are not for resale, you stand a 50/50 chance of getting to keep them without being fined. If you want to do this on a regular basis, go pay your $50 and get a Fish & Game import permit. The fines could potentially total much more than the permit.

But hey, with a name like Jimmyhof, you probably attract a lot of attention anyway! :)

Just an FYI.

-Rob

[jent46bow]

don't take things from the ocean....harvesting sealife from the ocean is a no-no in my book

granted a lot of the livestock you buy is harvested from the ocean but at least they watch where they get it from and how. If everyone just grabed some snails from right off shore then there would be no snails near shore.

Sorry, i will get off my soap box now.

[jimmyhof]

Jent46bow,

I think you are naive to think that most companies you buy from are not only harvestiong from the ocean, but get the stuff from whereever they can (just my opinion). In my opinion they probably hire locals to collect the stuff anyway(locals who are more concerned w/ making a buck). If you are in this hobby and you buy things you are most likely doing the same thing or worse as collecting yourself. What I mean by that is I know I collected the 6 snails I took from a retaining wall near the beach, However, I don't know that the corals I get are'nt just broken right off of some reef.

Sorry, I will get off my soap box too.

[stugray]

jent46bow,

Darn... I just ate a tuna salad for lunch. I guess I should look for the 'captive raised' brand next.

Oh, and I had sushi the other day. So it would be OK to EAT a sea urchin or sea snail, but not to bring it home as a pet.

LOL

Stu

[Rodness]

What specifically led you to want to bring back these particular snails? There are so many types of marine snails out there and I was just curious to know what in particular made you schlep these snails all the way back to the US?

Many snails are parasitic, and even fatal to humans. There is a reason that only a handful of marine snails are available to the hobbyist, one of which is how prevalent they are in the marine environment. Some snails are quite rare, and therefore should be left alone in the ocean.

[castorpollux]

im sure they were mexican turbos that he brought back, i had contemplated doing the same thing before but i chickened out...

[jimmyhof]

Rodness, you do bring up a good point. I brought them back with me bc I am headed to Mexico in a few weeks and others on this forum have brought back snails from there. I just figured if I took a few back I would see how difficult they were to bring into the country.

I brought back a couple of types that I have seen before as hitch hikers. One looks like a conch, the other like a large nerite. They are currently in my refugium, so I feel they will do minimal harm if any are predetory.

As for them being harmful or deadly, that I can only hope is false, but I am not planning on eating them if thats what you mean.

[rmougey]

Some cone shells are deadly. So don't pick up anything that is long and tapered... you can Google them to see what they look like. Don't think there are many from Mexico that fit that description, but one never knows. Good advice for any reef walking, shell collecting or general observation in the water... if you don't know that it's safe to touch, leave it alone.

-Rob

[CHARLIE AGUILAR]

I my self have harvested crabs and snails, and have a friend that has brought sps, zoos, and liv rock. There is something about the feeling when you look at your tank and see a little slice of the ocean that you created!!!!!!!! And if every body else wifes is like mine a buck saved in this hobbie is eather a new tanks, light, skimmer I think that you all know where im going with this. jimmyhoff shoot me a pm on how to bring them back when i did i had 3-4 doz snails and about the same # of crabs Easily a clean up crew for 5 tanks.

[Brian5280]

Just toss them in a bag with some empty shells from the beach and if you get cought play stupid and say you thought they were empty.

[castorpollux]

how did you get the sps and zoos back? that seems sketchy.

[CHARLIE AGUILAR]

The same way use sm wide mouth containers and with the zoos,sps just put a wet paper towel in the container. Just for everbodys info the corals that were brought back were all just in tide pools floating aroud from a prior storm so its not like they were broke off from a reef, so as far as i look at it the corals were given a second chance.

[LazyK]

It is highly illegal to collect coral in the caribbean. I believe that there is a treaty between virtually every caribbean nation, including the US, outlawing the collection of coral.
I have heard that it was just that subject that caused the little blowup at RC recently.

[CHARLIE AGUILAR]

Was not aware of anything of the sort.

[LazyK]

Collecting fish, snails, and "aquacultured" live rock is OK (with the right permits). Coral is a no-no.

[jonthefb]

what types of "sps" did your friend bring back? There are only 2 known species of acropora from the caribbean and both are protected against collection.

im with LazyK i wouldnt collect anything from the caribbean, especially stuff near shore, seeing as how man of the beaches, and off shore areas are/have been polluted, etc

good luck
jon

[murfman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7253618#post7253618 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Brian5280
Just toss them in a bag with some empty shells from the beach and if you get cought play stupid and say you thought they were empty.

"Yes officer, I was just collecting some shells on the beach, I didn't know there there was an animal in there. Ohhh the water? I guess it must have drained out of the EMPTY shells when I wasn't looking."

[CHARLIE AGUILAR]

Not sure of what sps it was but i dont think that it was a acro it was the size of a golf ball and roung like it. The beaches thet they were collected form were high $ al in clusive resorts so i dont think that the beaches were polluted.