Wild caught fish from destin

[Kalin0121]

So about 9 years ago I had my first SW tank. It had been up for about a year. I took a trip to destin east jetties. While snorkeling I caught some fish which I brought back and put them into my tank. I'm going to destin next weekend and thinking of trying to catch some small fish, snails, crabs, etc to put in my tank that has been up for about 8 mon. What's your thoughts on this? Any tricks to catching fish? What's the best way to keep them while I'm there? Best way to transport home (5hr drive)?

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Check with wildlife officials if its legal to do so.

Make sure you know what kind of fish you are getting.

I would advise against it.

 

[Smitty]

I know that in many parts of FL you aren't supposed to catch the fish and keep them. Things are pretty regulated here. Your mileage may vary. (Except for lion fish, I think they are almost ready to start paying people to go to the keys and kill them off because they are becoming such a big problem).

If you do it, I would really not recommend getting any crabs because you really don't know what you will get and they can be very nasty to any existing fish. Plus they can harbor a lot of bad things and still live.

 

[fsume93]

grew up in Destin, snorkelled and dove all the time. Spear fished alot. Took creatures all the time

 

[HN1]

Start here. Saltwater Fishing Regulations

You can likely do it legally, but if you violate the law and are caught the fines are very severe. I personally wouldn't do it for the worry of bringing in some funky wild disease or capturing a fish that I knew nothing about and did not know how to properly keep.

 

[dustinlrussell2000]

Recreational Harvest of Marine Life (Aquarium) Species

There are certainly regulations, but you can harvest aquarium species. Recreational Harvest of Marine Life (Aquarium) Species
When doing this, it is necessary to know what you have caught and make sure it is not a protected species, as many are. You cannot bring home more than 5 of any one species and no more than 20 single species at one time. YOU MUST HAVE A SALTWATER FISHING LICENSE to even take part in this privelage. NO LIVE ROCK EVER. You can generally one gallon of ornamental marine plants. Read the article and know which fish are allowed.

 

[Kristy3693]

The price of the license might make it not worth it. Especially if the fish don't survive the five hour trip.

 

[Daniel Fishy]

License is $17 Walmart has them. Emerald crabs are abundant just not as green. Lot of our fish will eat certain corals just read up on a few. If you have fo Spanish hogfish, French angels, butterflies and queen angels are a few. I use a clear net 18"/18"/18" expensive $40. Atlantic fish can have different parasites as fish from another ocean. Do a fresh water dip. 5 hrs in a bucket should be fine air stone or stir the water some. Urchins, star serpents and brittle star to. Have fun and let us know how it goes. Most fish in the lfs are captured and,shipped so what's wrong with you doing it just do it legal and you will be fine. My favorite sport going this weekend catch and release for me I'm stocked maybe a small arrow crab and tiger pistol tho.

 

[Andy Sager]

Start here. Saltwater Fishing Regulations

You can likely do it legally, but if you violate the law and are caught the fines are very severe. I personally wouldn't do it for the worry of bringing in some funky wild disease or capturing a fish that I knew nothing about and did not know how to properly keep.

ANYTIME you bring in fish or inverts direct from the sea, you should quarantine them. This makes them safe to add to your main tank at a future date ( provided they don't come down with some incurable condition.) Failure to quarantine will usually result in disaster at some point.
As for whether it's worth the money, that's up to you. If the license costs $10 ( just using this as an example) and you only collect what would have cost you $5.00 in the store to buy, was it worth it? There are no guarantees you will collect what you seek. Sometimes the experience of collecting your own is very tempting and rewarding but I can tell you, more often than not, once you consider equipment to collect, traveling equipment, quarantine time, meds, etc., it's safer and more cost effective to buy from a store. ( And yes, I used to be a collector myself )

Hope this helps

 

[Daniel Fishy]

Sometimes its just the fun of the hunt catch and release. I would stay away from French angels they don't do well in captivity. Have fun and be safe.