Fish and Wildlife Issues - GET ON BOARD!

[sdcfish]

If you didn't already know...there are many new changes for importers and exports to deal with when trading within the Aquarium Industry. It's not an easy task for Fish and Wildlife to notify everyone involved, nor is it easy for everyone to find time to check the Fish and Wildlife website where they post "Public Bulletins".

In an effort to help the situation, I am posting this message to anyone who wants to be included in new notifications about Aquarium Related Issues by Fish and Wildlife. I was initially thinking that importers would be the ones to be notified, but I guess anyone interested can participate.

Please email the lead Inspector Lisa Peratino who works and heads up the Los Angeles office. If you put in your subject box on your email, "Please include in Aquarium Industry Phonebook" then she should add your email contact into her group phonebook. Her email address is: (edited) We have been instructed not to send emails....please read further posts below!

Many of the new regulations are a long time coming, and others are up for discussion...but all in all...we are working together with Fish and Wildlife to keep our industry running smoothly, and most importantly within the regulations.

Best regards

Eric Cohen
Sea Dwelling Creatures - Los Angeles

 

[reefreef]

Do you have a link to the proposed changes?

 

[IconicAquariums]

I have a copy of the bulletin - i will scan it for you.

Not too fun since it wasn't advertised. You'd think they'd point out the changes when they saw the CITES 3 days before the shipment...

 

[sdcfish]

Turns out Fish and Wildlife will not send us notifications of changes. We are going to set up an Industry Group for everyone interested can join.

Stay tuned for more information.

Thanks

Eric

 

[sdcfish]

* Group name: Marine Ornamental Importers
* Group home page: http://groups.google.com/group/marine-o ... -importers
* Group email address [email protected]

You will have received an invitation email by now to join this group, if not please check your spam mail folder as it might have been marked as spam.

(1) To Join the group and post/receive announcements.

You do not require a google account. Just click on the "Accept invitation link" (part A in the picture) and you will automatically join the group and subscribe to the announcements.
Once you joined the group, to board cast announcements, send an email to [email protected] and it will be forwarded to all interested members.
(2) Additional features: Share files, create/post discussions, invite new members

For these, you do need to have a google account. Just get it on "part B link in the picture".

You can sign into the group at: http://groups.google.com/group/marine-o ... -importers
Once you sign in with a google account, you can share files/bulletins, create/post discussions, invite new members and some other features.

 

[PeterIMA]

Message deleted

 

[Anonymous]

removed by request due to quoted message

 

[PeterIMA]

Gresham, I sent in my email address to USFWS to be put on an email distribution list as suggested by Eric. They responded to me and presumably to Eric by email.

I think the real issue is whether new regulations from USFWS can be posted on this forum, or whether everyone needs to use the URL provided to check the USFWS website for new postings. It does not sound like USFWS is willing to keep the trade informed beyond posting on their web site.
Thanks,
Peter

 

[treeman]

It does not sound like USFWS is willing to keep the trade informed beyond posting on their web site.
Thanks,
Peter

I thought, as taxpayers, we pay their salarys. Why would they not want to inform the trade as a group? Is this politics or that they just don't care?

I find it disheartening that a goverment branch is not willing to and states that they don't have to notify a group that they are policing. Maybe it is time we try and change that.

This is not directed at Peter, but at the group.

Matt

 

[Anonymous]

Gresham, I am not sure what you mean. I posted the email from Lisa Peratino of USFWS, the day I received it. I sent in my email address to USFWS to be put on an email distribution list as suggested by Eric. She responded to me and presumably to Eric by email. I don't know Ms. Peratino, so please don't imply that she is my pal.

I think the real issue is whether new regulations from USFWS can be posted on this forum, or whether everyone needs to use the URL provided to check the USFWS website for new postings. It does not sound like USFWS is willing to keep the trade informed beyond posting on their web site.
Thanks,
Peter

I think Gresham was pointing out that Eric retracted his statement the day before you posted this.

The site that they post everything on is not too bad. It would be nice if there was some sort of email notification whenever something new posts. That way you dont have to check it twenty times a day. It could be worse, other government agencies post rule updates in bulletins that are thousands of pages thick.

 

[sdcfish]

Again.....

I have set up a group on Google thanks to the help of a friendly collegue, please see the post above and join.

I have posted bulletins from US Fish and Wildlife concerning the cites changes. If you would like to keep informed on the issues, then you should join.

I will do my part by uploading notifications we receive on the group forum.

Currently there are two. One is the notification and the more recent one today is concerning the importation of Australian cites animals.

Hope to see you all there.

Eric

 

[Anonymous]

It does not sound like USFWS is willing to keep the trade informed beyond posting on their web site.
Thanks,
Peter

I thought, as taxpayers, we pay their salarys. Why would they not want to inform the trade as a group? Is this politics or that they just don't care?

I find it disheartening that a goverment branch is not willing to and states that they don't have to notify a group that they are policing. Maybe it is time we try and change that.

This is not directed at Peter, but at the group.

Matt

I think the idea is that they ought to be out there inspecting stuff, not spending half the day on the computer/phone with aquarium fish importers.

 

[sdcfish]

Well....I believe that once we get the group in place with a significant number of importers, we WILL get US Fish and Wildlife to recognize us and it only takes ONE WILLING Officer of the service to be willing to send us an alert. We don't necessarily need an officer of Los Angeles to support us and give us some notice when they hear of Industry issues.

I am pretty sure Los Angeles will notify us, but we will also ask support from other ports. They all get the same notices....pretty much.

Eric

 

[clarionreef]

I think the idea is that they ought to be out there inspecting stuff, not spending half the day on the computer/phone with aquarium fish importers.

Clicking out a memo to all the registered importers takes..well a click of the finger.
The " I dont have time thing" is bogus claim as they can sometimes spend inordinate amounts of time on minutae and insignificant things.
Sometimes they spend an hour looking at things they cannot identify while we could do it in 5 minutes.

Sometimes, they even have pursued vendettas and have hounded and badgered people. One even threatened importers with blackmail for a years and...well he went to jail for covering some rare snake smuggling.
He was the lead inspector for LA at the time. [ I',m glad to have been the one to challenge him and have his superiors in Wash. DC notified ...resulting in his arrest.

This agency takes time and money off importers routinely and to ask of critical and timely memos to be clicked out on a pre-prepared group is very reasonable.
Here in SFO they would do it. Here the agents seem to be a lot more accomodating so I don't think its an agency thing per se but a character thing of who ever is in charge.
In LA currently, perhaps they are a bit more self oriented.

They are a government agency and are servants of the people who pay them. They could have a better attitude besides the "look it up yourself" response.
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

It does not sound like USFWS is willing to keep the trade informed beyond posting on their web site.
Thanks,
Peter

I thought, as taxpayers, we pay their salarys. Why would they not want to inform the trade as a group? Is this politics or that they just don't care?

I find it disheartening that a goverment branch is not willing to and states that they don't have to notify a group that they are policing. Maybe it is time we try and change that.

This is not directed at Peter, but at the group.

Matt

I think the idea is that they ought to be out there inspecting stuff, not spending half the day on the computer/phone with aquarium fish importers.

I agree to a point but like Steve said, one click to a "group" email and they are done. Automation is very doable in this case as well.

 

[Anonymous]

I guess my point was that it wouldn't be so tough to send it out, but that the resulting calls and emails would probably be time consuming.

 

[Anonymous]

They are a government agency and are servants of the people who pay them. They could have a better attitude besides the "look it up yourself" response.
Steve

I agree, but maybe they're busy. Can you imagine asking your local police to compile and maintain a list of all the citizens emails in the precinct, and sending out emails whenever laws change?

 

[treeman]

If you had everybody sign up as a group and it took one click to send the email, I think that is doable.

But we are not talking about something like that. It would probably save them time in the long run. If everybody new the new law, they wouldn't have to confiscate/hold livestock or do the paperwork or spend the time to find somebody to take the livestock etc.

Even an automatic email to the group stating the site has been updated would be easy, not the actual changes.

 

[Anonymous]

I guess my point was that it wouldn't be so tough to send it out, but that the resulting calls and emails would probably be time consuming.

Wouldn't they have to fields those call regardless of an email being sent? Isn't it their job to answer such questions anyways? Just a FYI at our local branch they have a person that answers call that is not a field agent, she's the office secretary

Can you imagine asking your local police to compile and maintain a list of all the citizens emails in the precinct, and sending out emails whenever laws change?

:lol: you can't even compare the two. We're talking about a total of like 200 - 300 nation wide...if that. Our local branch would have like 30 to deal with. One click...Bam....

 

[clarionreef]

When some agents smell blood in the water and seek some brownie points for their careers, they will justify years of effort in pursuit of things the rest of us already know.
Splitting hairs on a coral identification will absolutely consume them for a week and they will impose thousand dollar fines per innocent mistake in the identification of a 'difficult to identify' coral.
Then,
When baby sea turtles are discovered in an importers dumpster [ and freezer] , they may do nothing at all, rationalizing it as no proof that the turtles were smuggled from Nicaragua. :roll:
I quit trying to figure these guys out as they seem penny wise and pound foolish and to inconsistant in their own purpose.
Steve