Hello all, do you know if it's currently safe to go collecting in Mexico / Guatemala? I'm looking to come back with some nice wild caught cichlids. Or can anyone point me in the direction of a group that runs trips down there? I know of south American ones. They just don't have what I'm looking for thanks
How woud I go about shipping the fish back up to the US? Or should I fly down and rent a car or what not? Like what would be the best approach to collecting around Guatemala
Might be a customs/border mess.
I would do some hard research before you spend a year in a SA jail. Never know.
Neat idea though, if I had some money for tanks and the trip I would definitely go.
If you find any legal "trips" for collecting in a group, please post info as I would be interested to see what's involved.
Good luck
N
You are correct about Mexico, they basically don't give out permits to individuals any more.
I've spent quite a bit of time in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and they are both very "safe" countries. El Salvador is the only Central American country that might be considered "unsafe", in my opinion. I've spent a lot of time (2+ years in total) in Mexico and it is actually very safe as well, with the exception of the areas near the U.S. border.
You are correct about Mexico, they basically don't give out permits to individuals any more.
I've spent quite a bit of time in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and they are both very "safe" countries. El Salvador is the only Central American country that might be considered "unsafe", in my opinion. I've spent a lot of time (2+ years in total) in Mexico and it is actually very safe as well, with the exception of the areas near the U.S. border.
That's good to know Dan. My old lady's family is from el Salvador and they have a vacation house down there that they visit every year. Thinking about going down for a trip, but I had a feeling it was a little sketchy. She said her parents hired body guards in the 90's. I've only been to Mexico.
That's good to know Dan. My old lady's family is from el Salvador and they have a vacation house down there that they visit every year. Thinking about going down for a trip, but I had a feeling it was a little sketchy. She said her parents hired body guards in the 90's. I've only been to Mexico.
To tell you the truth, if I had a place to stay in El Salvador, I would probably go there. When I was in Nicaragua I met a couple guys from el Salvador that had left there because of economic problems. They said there was a lot of lawlessness and widespread poverty. They also said it was a beautiful place and things used to be a lot better there. This was about six years ago.
As to the OP's question, I think that you would want to look into a group doing this. Logistically it would be tough to fly down on your own with all the necessary gear. Also, if you don't have someone familiar with the export/import process it could turn out to be a nightmare.
If you do find groups/tours collecting in Central America, please post. Most of the collecting trips I've seen are in South America, it would be interesting to see where people are going further North.
Thank you for the help. I did a lot of research the past hours and like you have posted it's very hard to just get your self a permit. I need to find a group of collectors going in this region many many fish to collect there. I know theres got to be someone getting them or else we wouldn't see Wild livestock comming in... Now the question remains exactly who is doing this. I have a buddy who's pretty close to Rusty Wessel I'm going to see what he can do for me or if Rusty would be able to contact me and further guide me.
When I was in Nicaragua I met a couple guys from el Salvador that had left there because of economic problems. They said there was a lot of lawlessness and widespread poverty. They also said it was a beautiful place and things used to be a lot better there. This was about six years ago.