Collecting and Returning Tidepool Animals

March 12, 2015

Question: I have two small daughters that are very much into marine life. I thought it would be exciting for them to catch small critters, fish, etc. and put them into an aquarium at home. I figured they could then return the marine life back to the ocean every few weeks. I looked into this online and it appears that you need to obtain a permit to collect marine life in this fashion. Do you think it is possible for me to obtain the proper permits in order to do this with my kids? If so, do you have any idea how I would go about applying and the general costs? (Charles K.)

Answer: Unfortunately, as nice as this sounds, it is not legal for your daughters to do. Here are three reasons why:

1.   First of all, they cannot transport any finfish from the ocean, period. Moving live finfish from freshwater or ocean waters is illegal.

2.   Second, anything that is not legal to take with a California sport fishing license requires a scientific collecting permit and they wouldn’t qualify for one of these because they are issued only to scientists doing bona fide research or to schools or aquariums where the animals taken will be on display for the public to view.

3.   Third, they can remove invertebrates that are legal to take with a sport fishing license (although if under 16 years old they do not need a license), but nothing can be returned alive to the ocean. If they take them, they need to keep them. This is because there’s always a possibility that fish or invertebrates may have picked up parasites or diseases when kept in private aquariums. We don’t want anything being introduced to fish and invertebrates in the wild.

For the time being, it would be best for your girls to stick with fish and invertebrates that they buy from licensed aquarists or stores that sell aquarium species legally. They can, however, visit most tidepools and enjoy the fish and invertebrates in their natural environments … just don’t take them away from their homes.