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Bob,
Not officially. Bob Cashin handles the bags for NAFBG. I will be seeing
him this weekend and would be able to get bags for you if you let me know
size and quantity. I know for sure that he carries 3x10, 5x14, 6x14 and
8x20, plus various other sizes. Let me know no later than Friday night.
In return, you can do me a favor. I'm including the text of a message
received from Germany some time ago regarding a planned trip to Georgia/
Carolinas this month. I have not received any information from various
members in these states about the regulations and possible collecting
areas. Could you provide any info? Thanks
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Dear Dick,
this afternoon I received a phone call from Roland Wendel (the guy
looking for Fundulus species, remember one of my former e-mails!). He was
at the travel agency this morning and is about to book a flight from
Stuttgart Germany to Atlanta Georgia end of september or early october.
Despite the fact that this will be autumn, he will try to catch Fundulus
stellifer and Fundulus rathbuni. I told him that the legal situation is
unclear as one or both species might be protected by law. This is why I
am sending you this message. Roland wants me to ask you the following
question: Are you able to find out if a German is allowed to catch these
two species (only these, no interest in other species!) in order to
export some five pairs or ten young fish per species (i.e. 40 specimens
in total) to Germany. He is member of the DKG and in his garden he has
numerous ponds in which he succesfully breeds Fundulus species (but not
the two concerned herein). Roland would appreciate it if you could try to
find out if there are any regulations.
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Dick
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Thanks for the help. I could use 100 each of the 5x14 and 6x14. If Bob Cashin
will send them to me, I'll send him a check for whatever they cost, plus
postage. Regarding the German from Stuttgart. We have Germans coming through
NC all the time collecting fish without trouble and taking them back on the
plane. I'm sure it's the same in other states, but at least here we know the
agency people and they cooperate, even telling us where we can go to get state
protected species! In fact, there's another German coming here next Monday
night, who will also be traveling to Arizona to collect, then coming back here
for more collecting before going home. One of the Germans told me that
whenever he is questioned by anyone while out collecting, he replies in
German. They eventually give up and leave! We have a Declaration for the
Importation or Exportation of Wildlife here (USF&WS Form Number 3-177), but
nobody ever asks to see it and those to whom I've showed it at the airports
didn't know what to do with it. The purpose of the form is to have a written
affirmation that none of the fish/wildlife being transported is an endangered
or threatened species under the federal endangered species act. Once, when an
airline wouldn't let me take a cooler of fish onto a plane, I put the bags of
fishes into my suitcase among the clothes, and the fish did fine. I then
shipped the cooler empty.
I'm sending copies of this email to other Germans who have collected here and
other groups who can also provide information. They may want to comment as
well. A few years ago I prepared information for each state on the rules for
collecting and the species protected there, but it's now outdated. - Bob
Goldstein