Legality question

[Myka]

I understand what is implied in the following posts. I know it is legal to drive across the border to the USA to pick up corals and bring them back to Canada provided you have the corals listed with genus and specie; for example Acropora tenuis. There is a list of corals that you can't bring across, and a competent border guard will check the names you have provided (most border guards aren't going to know if you lie about the names though, wherein lies a large import problem - and a different thread lol). I have never had any troubles doing this. I was under the impression that what you do with them after this (like selling frags) is totally legal. Am I mistaken?

Originally Posted by Jeff000

I have brought a few pieces up from the states, and might see about bring some more up, but for me to sell something I brought up I would have to make it worth my while, or wait for it to be big enough to make my own frag.

Originally Posted by reefermadness

You do know what you are admitting to right?

Please tell me you didnt post a picture of the act on facebook too?

Best to keep this private.

[phi delt reefer]

all stony corals require a CITES permit - so if you bring it into Canada without one then your technically doing something illegal. They are an Appendix 2 class - this means you just need a CITES Export permit filled out by the US retailer you are purchasing from and that will allow you to bring them into canada (no cites import permit reqd on appendix 2 items). The US agency that reviews the form can take up 90 days to approve.

the export permit must be filled in by the retailer and its a lot of work with a lot of dumb questions. Like who collected the item from the ocean, how was it collected, etc. Granted they have absolutely no way to verify this but it seems like a waste of everyones time. I would doubt that any retailer would be wiling to fill in the permit unless you are spending several hundred dollars with them.

you are allowed to bring them in for personal use or for resell but its a different permit. The resell one is even more paperwork and i believe there is a fee attached.

[fencer]

WRT Acros

Any transport of corals across international borders require a CITES tag. You only need to be caught once...
FYI...it is also illegal to transship province to province

[Myka]

Why do they let you drive across the border with these corals then? I have done it, I know many other people that have done it. They even told me in person that I would need CITIES to import using a shipping method, but to walk them across they can look at the corals so it's ok...same with fish. They just told me no live rock, and the corals can't be mounted on any natural surface over 1x1". I used to do this regularly in the early 90s, but haven't tried in recent years. If they tell me it is ok, then how could I get in trouble for it?

Originally Posted by fencer

FYI...it is also illegal to transship province to province

You're saying that almost every vendor out there is conducting illegal business by shipping corals across any provincial border? Where do you get this info? There are A LOT of guilty parties out there!

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

The way I remember from few years back.
The fee I paid for a cities was $600 per shippment so the order has to be large enough to justify $600.
The paper work would have to be filled by the supplier and when done within 60 days usually 30 days.on arrival to your destination you have tofill another form and a customs inspection only sometimes is done on the shippment.
A bit of hassle unless you are a distributer or a retailer.
You will be lucky to find a retailer in the US to say sure for doing a cities unless like I said for a large order.

[fencer]

Either they don't care or they don't know what you have

[Myka]

Originally Posted by fencer

Either they don't care or they don't know what you have

They looked on their computer, and asked me if I had some particular species that I had never heard of. I was like...14?? I went to the US bi-weekly and spent my babysitting money on fish, corals, and inverts. It was the closest LFS that had SW.

[ALang]

Interesting, Myka. Tagging along...

[fencer]

Even if you had what they listed on the computer and you said no they have no way of telling any way. I have brought stuff only by air and ask and inspect all the time. I don't do that now as someof the LFS in town do a good job at geting some choice stuff

[Myka]

Originally Posted by fencer

Even if you had what they listed on the computer and you said no they have no way of telling any way.

Ya, that's a different topic though.