>Hi all! Got a quick question for the group. A friend of mine in Arkansas
>told me that this week he was told by the Fish and Game Commission that it
>is illegal to collect native fish in Arkansas for the purpose of selling
>them. Is this true? Any and all information would be appreciated.
>Thanks!
>
>
>
>
I wouldn't be surprised by this. Arkansas has a lot of rare fish and a
lot of nice habitats. The last thing either needs is a lot of commercial
scale collectors running around decimating them. I do know that many of
Arkansas's fish are protected in that state even if not in other states.
Game fish, of course, cannot be sold by anyone, but "baitfish" probably
can with a baitfish license. I couldn't guess how difficult it would be
to get a baitfish license, but if your friend's info is correct, then
it's probably pretty tricky. It's a state-by-state kind of thing, and
that's usually a hassle. Florida, for example, requires a collector's
permit to allow collection of marine fish & inverts, BUT it pretty much
won't issue any such permits anymore. At any rate, the sale of native
species is often frowned upon by most states. Here in Alabama, the sale
of native-to-Alabama herps is forbidden, but if the seller can show that
the specimens were acquired out-of-state they're okay. It's just
Alabama's way of helping to prevent the overcollection of it's native
herps, and I'm sure the same holds true for the herps & fishes of many
other states.
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