Not sure they have Internet access in the slammer!! :razz:

I bet if you told the customs officals you had a clam They would probably be like "oh well have a good super" :rolleyes: :lol:

As you're an American citizen, you may be able to claim that it normally lives in your tank in CA, to which you will be returning it, but while you're here, you wanted to have it with you.

Yep, born and raised in CA, got my permanent resident status in Canada a year ago.

JT

I kinda wonder if they'd smack the whole food importation thing down on you. Isn't bringing fruits and veggies across the border illegal?

As far as I know, softies are not listed under CITES? I could be wrong though. And that doesn't mean that they're not restricted in some other way.

I think it really depends on the mood of the guard at the border. I would also speculate that you'd get different treatment crossing near Vancouver versus, say, Coutts or Waterton. "Gorsh pardner, watcha gonna do with that there ding dangly old clam?"

So if you look at CITES.org and see Appendices I,II,III it lists
Tridacnidae spp. and the following coral as endangered:

1. Helioporidae spp.
2. Tubiporidae spp.
3. Antipatharia spp.
4. Scleractinia spp.
5. Stolonifera spp.
6. Milleporidae spp.
7. Stylasteridae spp.

JT

I dont remember where the article is but I have heard of people bringing unclaimed corals and such across the border and getting huge fines + jail time, I believe 2 years and $50,000.00 in one case.
There are others that have been nabbed too. Any coral or anything attached to rock, or clams, or endangered species, needs cities permits.
If the border people are doing their job you will need to show documentation for each animal you have in your possesion, scientific names, quantity, and cost. I know I wouldnt risk it.

I heard that placing your used ginch inside out at the upper most part of your bagage helps in these cases :lol:

Hey Guys,
Came back from Hawaii last May after a vacation. Didn't bring back any reef stuff, but I brought back these really cool bonsai ficus plants. Had permit type literature attached to it, and it was all sealed and packed. The greenhouse I bought them from said it was not a problem with customs. They were wrong. We declared the stuff, and customs confiscated the stuff saying the permits were not correct for Canada. I'm sure it made a nice desk decoration for a customs agent. I don't think you would get jail or fines, but the stuff would get confiscated, and surely die a slow death in their possesion. Just my .02.

Mike