Ocean Collecting

[PeacePicses]

Does anyone have insight regarding the collection of, and keeping of Texas coastal animals, plants, etc?

...Hawaiian?

...Floridan?

I keep a Texas 8Gal Nano with a Dogfish, Anemones, Hermits, and Snails and they're awesome but I don't know if it should stay on the D.L. :ph34r
...or do I just need a fishing license.

[cpreefguy]

there have been multiple threads about this, but Im not sure that there is ever a decisive answer, but Im pretty sure that its OK

[rocketeer]

That's a cool fish! :o

Is it from Texas waters?

Jack

[Instar]

GaryP posted some of the legal daily limits and total possession limits for Gulf coastal marine life a while back. Grass shrimp included, limit 20 as I recall. Also had reference to the capture method allowed for some marine life. It includes conches (they have a season and limit, I think when in season it's 1), etc. Best to get the entire extensive list, capture methods permitted, etc. and avoid the fines. There are some things that are restricted... Maybe he can repost the reference to the rules?

[GaryP]

No, that is another species of shrimp. There is no limit on what we call grass shrimp. However, I think one of our members did collect sone during the recent collecting trip. What the regulation is referring to is more like a small lobster or large pistol shrimp then the shrimp we use as feeders. You have to use a mud pump and suck them out of their burrows. I talked to a biologist from TPWD and unless its a regulated sport fish species there is no limit. For example, gobies, pipefish, and blennies are not a regulated sport fish species and you can collect as many as you like. The only requirement is that you have a valid fishing license to collect critters on the coast.

[GaryP]

Exactly. We use the term ghost shrimp interchangeably with grass shrimp, which are the feeder shrimp. It took a call to a TPWD coastal biologist to get that straightened out.

[PeacePicses]

Thanks for the info.
The Dogfish was given to me by a shrimp collector while I was at Fin-Addict. Yes, he's Texan.
I also keep a 90 gallon freshwater tank which is full of plants, rock, clams, snails, and other stuff I pulled out of the Comal River. Everything but the fish (two Oscars and a Plecostomus) are Texan.