Cold Water Reef and Collecting locally

[Scavenger]

I remember a post awhile back about the legalities of collecting from local BC waters for home aquarium purposes. I was toying with the idea of setting up such a tank and am still concidering it. I wrote to the DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) inquiring about if this was legal. Here is a copy of their response.

Your inquiry regarding the collection of specimens for a home tide pool
aquarium has been brought to my attention.

You have indicated that you have a tidal water sport fishing licence and you
can certainly use it for this purpose. You may have received a sport
fishing guide at present with your licence. If not, I can mail you one. I
refer you to the species list and limits for finfish on pages 48/49, and for
shellfish on pages 60/62. For a tidal pool arrangement, I expect that most
of the finfish you are likely to collect will be species of sculpins or
eelpouts and blennies. As they are not specifically listed in the finfish
table, they come under the designation for all other species, which allows
for the daily catch limit of 20 specimens and a possession limit (in your
tank) of 40 specimens. Similar daily and possession limits apply to
shellfish species, with more generous limits listed individually for some
types of intertidal specimens such as limpets.

One word of caution about collecting bivalves - they may not be collected
from areas closed for bacteriological contamination or red tide
contamination. Check with the local DFO office for the area where you will
be collecting to find out where these restrictions are in effect. A partial
list of closures is also available in the back of the sports fish guide, and
on the web at:
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/ops/fm/...es/default_e.h
tm
<http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/ops/fm/...ures/default_e.
htm>

If you would like me to send you a copy of the sports fish guide, please
return your postal address by e-mail. Thank you,

Jim Morrison
Resource Management Biologist - Invertebrate Biologiste en Gestion des
Pêches, Invertebres
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, South Coast Area Pêches et Océans Canada,
Secteur de la Côte Sud
3225 Stephenson Pt. Rd. 3225 rue Stephenson Pt.
Nanaimo, B.C. V9T 1K3 Nanaimo, (C.-B.) V9T 1K3
Phone: (250) 756-7233 Téléphone (250) 756-7233
Fax: (250) 756-7162 Télécopieur: (250) 756-7162
Email: morrisonj@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca Courriel:
morrisonj@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

It looks like it's full steam ahead for anyone interested in undertaking this type of project. Just remember to buy a fishing license first!

[Quinn]

Cool stuff. After seeing the tidal pool display at Montreal's Biosphere, I think this type of project would be extremely rewarding.

[Beverly]

Sounds interesting AND legal

Considering the specimens in the area where you are will a need cold watter environment once in your tank, how will you provide such an environment? Can the VPA give you advice on setting up and maintaining such a tank, or is there other information out there that you have been perusing? If so, let us know your sources so others may have the chance to consider such a set up.

[Scavenger]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Sounds interesting AND legal

Considering the specimens in the area where you are will a need cold watter environment once in your tank, how will you provide such an environment? Can the VPA give you advice on setting up and maintaining such a tank, or is there other information out there that you have been perusing? If so, let us know your sources so others may have the chance to consider such a set up.

Well I still don't have plans finalized, but so far my thoughts are temp control shouldn't be too much of an issue. In a tidal pool environment the temp swings drastically. from 55ish to 80 f in any given tidal change. (seasonal variances too of course.). As for water quality, I can collect locally at any given time as I fish all year long with my boat and can collect from offshore locations where the pollution factors are lessened.
I won't be collecting any high light requiring organisms (if there are any locally) as in a large number of areas the sunny days are few. I'm also pondering having a slowly draining tank with a sump on float switches that only activates the return pump when water reaches extreme low. Or I could easily make 2 dump tanks one of warm and one of cold to simulate tidal fluctuations. Hopefully the cycle will be around 6 hours (average tide flow). As for feeding and care, I have spent my life here on the coast and learned a bit about tidal life. I even took a school course in it. I believe with this knowledge and more that I may glean off internet and perhaps writing public aquariums with this type of display, I should be able to keep things rolling smooth.
Do note, I haven't committed to this project or finalized research yet, but will definitely keep all interested reefers apprised of my trials and successes during the process if I do.

[Beverly]

I am not interested in setting up my own tank, mostly because there's no ocean nearby, but I am definitely interested in how you do yours if you go ahead. Please keep us updated.

And don't tell boB that I spelled water incorrectly

[Scavenger]

Originally Posted by Beverly

And don't tell boB that I spelled water incorrectly

My silence can be bought. Got any frags???

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by Scavenger

My silence can be bought. Got any frags???

Oh, yeah...... I give you frags for your silence, but then I'd have to give everyone else reading this thread frags for their silence I think I'd be better off with everyone PMing boB about my error

[Scavenger]

After writing Jim of the DFO thanking him for his time, he offered this advise too. I think alot is common sense but deserves being posted in this thread.

You are most welcome. In terms of moving animals, if your collecting
location is not close to where you live, then please discharge any transport
water to ground rather than to a waterbody, storm drain or the sewer system.
Also, mortalities should be disposed of to ground rather than anything
leading back to marine water, and releasing animals back to the wild should
not be encouraged unless all animals in the tank came from the same
location, the animals are released back to their collecting location and
there was no signs of parasites or disease prior to release.

Good luck, Jim

[Jaws]

Are you considering doing this in a large tank or building a large pool habitat? I too am from the island and would love to see someone make an attempt to do this. What kind of live inhabitants do you think you might keep?

[TNTCanada]

If I had a way to cool my tank I would switch over in a second. I have my Advanced diving ticket and there is so mush cool stuff around here.