I was selling fish on craigslist, trying to help people start tanks like the rest of us, well I come to find out that I need a license to do so. Florida fish and game set a sting operation on me and now i have a court date wednesday. I did not mean any harm, if I had known it was wrong I would not have even attempted. I tried to correct the problem, I'm not into selling the fish too much, more so keeping them, but I would like to help others get the love from these fish I have. So I called Florida Fish and game to see what it would take for me to be able to sell fish to help others in the hobby. They say I need a freshwater fish dealers license, great. So I ask what that covers me to do. After talking to 7 people on the matter and getting no information I decide to just email them. 2 weeks later they write me back. The dealers license only covers the selling of fish that are not game fish. Which game fish goes from Bass to bream, pretty much every fish. So now I'm going to be fined for selling fish without a license when there is no license to even allow selling gamefish which is what all of my fish were considered. So although I feel bad I also feel like Florida fish and game is in no way set up to control the selling of fish and that it seems unfair to make it practically impossible because it is so limited and I would have been in the wrong no matter how licensed I was. Any thoughts on the matter. If you feel like I was strongly in the wrong go ahead and tell me, I can take it. I just want some opinions from fellow hobbyists.
Florida Fish and Game set me with a fine for selling fish without a license! Unfair?
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Two 55 gallons, main tank has a number of south florida native fish including largemouth bass, peacock bass, catfish, plecostamus, tilapia, mayan cihlids, and a warmouth. All fish are under 3 inches and are released when they outgrow the tank.
This is one good reason. You don't know the implications of what you're doing. How do you know that the fish you remove from the wild aren't endangered or something? If you're releasing fish back into the wild, I have a hard time believing that you're doing things responsibly.
Two 55 gallons, main tank has a number of south florida native fish including largemouth bass, peacock bass, catfish, plecostamus, tilapia, mayan cihlids, and a warmouth. All fish are under 3 inches and are released when they outgrow the tank.
This is one good reason. You don't know the implications of what you're doing. How do you know that the fish you remove from the wild aren't endangered or something? If you're releasing fish back into the wild, I have a hard time believing that you're doing things responsibly.
you should move to VA, as long as its not endangered you can collect up to 5 species from the wild. then they seem dont really care what you do with the off spring of them. the license here is supposed to only be like 10 or 15 dollars to sell fish.
Being an avid fisherman, you should have had some warning if you'd read the state's fishing laws when you procured your fishing license. Dipnets are allowed for capturing baitfish. Gamefish must be legal size and taken by approved gear. Releasing wild-caught fish is only allowed as catch-and-release at the time the fish are caught. Releasing them from aquaria is illegal. Gamefish sales are allowed only under permit (and there is a permit for this and a separate permit is required for each species to be sold). These permits are usually issued to licensed businesses such as game fish hatcheries and research labs.
Whether deemed fair or unfair, the short summary is; "That's how it is." No matter what business anyone's trying to start, research has to be done to ensure all the Ts are crossed and all the 'i's are dotted just to protect the business and its owners.
Whether deemed fair or unfair, the short summary is; "That's how it is." No matter what business anyone's trying to start, research has to be done to ensure all the Ts are crossed and all the 'i's are dotted just to protect the business and its owners.
looks to me like this isn't a matter of love for the hobby/fish...looks more like a way to make some cash, selling natives and all im sure it didn't cost you to catch them...if it were for sharing the love of fish you wouldn't have been selling the fish rather giving them away
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