Help me i´m in Cuba!!!

[clown1]

please could someone help me!! i´m currently on holiday in cuba, and have been doing some snorkelling. the scraps of live rock getting washed up on the shore are of such good quality that i´m looking into taking some back with me to the uk. unfortunately i don´t know if it would be strictly legal, (with cites, the conservation group). would anyone in the know please post a reply so i can find out. i fly home next sunday. also if anyone has any tips for transporting it safely. thanks for the help.

by the way i´ll let you all know what it´s like when i get back.

 

[Expos Forever]

Live Rock is CITES protected. There is no legal way to transport it without a CITES permit. Sorry.

 

[investigator1]

You could be like everyone else and swim your live rock to Florida.

 

[Anonymous]

Even if one had a CITES permit, wouldn't there be an imbargo isssue?

 

[leftovers]

Even if one had a CITES permit, wouldn't there be an imbargo isssue?

only in the US...you would have to check on UK laws regarding goods and services imported from Cuba.

 

[Anonymous]

DOH! Helps to look at peoples' location, huh.

 

[Anonymous]

Castro and the Cuban government are becoming aware of the value of their natural resources. While the U.K. has a better relationship with them, I would NOT risk the repercussions should you be caught. They are setting aside more and more of the reef area they have left for eco-tourism, and honestly, if you remove the live rock, even if it's just washed up on the sand, you're damaging this economic opportunity for them.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah...Castro's going to sell the live rock to feed his citizens. :roll:

Seriously though, you better not take that stuff. When the cuban government agents reading this forum tell Castro that he owns rocks that are worth 7 american dollars a pound, he's libel to have you shot on the spot for taking them. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

No, he's not going to sell anything to feed his citizens, but the country is in dire economic straits. They are well aware of the general reef decline of the entire Caribbean, and are FAST becoming aware of the very precious commodity they have encircling their island. The Cubans may be poor, but they are not stupid, and do indeed wish to encourage eco-tourism, it's beginning to boom there these past few years. Now, as part of this picture, it would behoove them to look at what other countries circumtropical are doing to preserve what reef they have left, and as Expos pointed out, live rock is listed as a CITES "commodity" (when originating from certain countries). Is it not, then, also logical to think that Cuba might look at that situation and extrapolate it to theirs?

That, plus joo dohn wann be eenterdogaytedt by de Cubanos!

 

[grav]

Okay,

Buy Cigars (cheap in Cuba), bring to UK (legal) sell (good cigars) make lots of $ (euros or BPS) and buy LR.

 

[clown1]

it´s a damn shame, honestly the rock washed up is beautiful, as are the acropora frags!! i´ve been using up anything non-essential so i have more room in my case, this is such bad news!! doh!! thanks for all your help guys, i´ll still let you know all about it when i get back and post some underwater pics, if anyone´s interested.

 

[blueoceandiver]

pic,s would be great!!!!!!!!!please post em when you get back.im in the keys alot so im interested to see if it is some of the same stuff. :lol:

 

[clown1]

there´s loads of everything!! (forgive the spellings) acropora, gorgonians, lots of hard corals - brains, labyrinths. moray eels (hopefully the photos of the moray i saw will come out - it was a real beaut), butterflies, atlantic blue tang (BIG shoals of) wrasses, pipefish, groupers, scooters. went and swam with the dolphins the other day, saw some turtles they had there.

will post more when back in England!!