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Post by thejsonboss on May 17, 2022 14:17:39 GMT -8
My understanding is that most if not all Latin American countries require you to be under the permit of a government-sponsored university researcher to collect. This is doable for some countries, extremely difficult for others (like Mexico). If El Salvador is one of the "easy" countries I'd gladly plan out a trip there at some point. USFWS requires a valid collecting AND export permit for every nation (or letter stating that those aren't necessary if applicable), plus a formal declaration of possession upon arrival with Customs. I see nothing in their law about needing a collaborator and have in-laws that live there who have collected in the past. I also have word from a butterfly farmer and exporter in the country that no export is needed. USFWS has said nothing about needing a letter that no export permit is required and I have been communicating with them extensively at this point in several departments. Maybe they just forgot to mention it though. |
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Post by thejsonboss on May 17, 2022 14:26:54 GMT -8
Just asked USFWS about the no export permit letter, will update
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Post by papiliotheona on May 18, 2022 5:59:24 GMT -8
I see nothing in their law about needing a collaborator and have in-laws that live there who have collected in the past. I also have word from a butterfly farmer and exporter in the country that no export is needed. USFWS has said nothing about needing a letter that no export permit is required and I have been communicating with them extensively at this point in several departments. Maybe they just forgot to mention it though. I might try with just a few specimens the first time and see what happens. The law is the law. What I said is accurate. It may be that USFWS focuses more enforcement on countries that make a big deal about this (like Mexico or Costa Rica) and less on those that don't care as much, but it is what it is--you can believe me or not. The Lacey Act has been in existence for well over 100 years and if you violate some other country's wildlife laws, no matter how minor, you are legally a poacher. I'd rather not be on the receiving end of that. |
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Post by thejsonboss on May 18, 2022 6:30:48 GMT -8
Who is the letter supposed to be from?
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Post by wollastoni on May 18, 2022 8:12:49 GMT -8
For the new forum, a specific topic about USFWS procedures for American collectors would be useful.
If anyone has enough knowledge to write it, it would be very useful for our American members. Any voluntary ?
It seems much easier to be a collector in the European Union.
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Post by thejsonboss on May 18, 2022 8:36:54 GMT -8
I asked USFWS this question
"If the country I am importing from does not require an export permit, do I need anything on the US side to prove this? Does the US deal with export permits from other countries at all?"
And got this response:
"If the species you are importing into the United States is listed under CITES, you would need an original CITES export permit from the exporting country. This permit would be validated by that country's Customs upon departure and cancelled and retained by USFWS upon arrival. If no CITES is required, only the 3-177 is needed."
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Post by thejsonboss on May 18, 2022 9:02:09 GMT -8
I will work on getting an official all clear on the El Salvador side.
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Post by kevinkk on May 18, 2022 9:40:47 GMT -8
For the new forum, a specific topic about USFWS procedures for American collectors would be useful. If anyone has enough knowledge to write it, it would be very useful for our American members. Any voluntary ? It seems much easier to be a collector in the European Union. Maybe- I read some interesting posts about collecting in Germany on the Actias site a while back.  |
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Post by exoticimports on May 18, 2022 11:21:54 GMT -8
For the new forum, a specific topic about USFWS procedures for American collectors would be useful. If anyone has enough knowledge to write it, it would be very useful for our American members. Any voluntary ? I may do so when the new forum is up. It is readily apparent that even informal collecting by amateurs is invaluable to building the scientific knowledge base. One of the big roadblocks to promoting amateur fieldwork is import & export laws. The other is repetitious posting of absolutely fabricated, and incorrect information- by those who should know better. Case in point, the thread on Bhutanis which was absolutely loaded with incorrect advise, bad information, and references to documents that do not exist. That despite my having copied and pasted, verbatim, CITES in its entirety on this forum. By the way, the quote attributed to USFWS posted below by Thejonsonboss is also wrong. So it's not just on the part of Insectnet contributors. I agree, to assist others USFWS, CITES, and Lacey need to be covered in a single, concentrated thread. It may also help USFWS understand the laws they are enforcing. I suppose it's possible that I understand CITES and 50 CFR 22 because I've read them a hundred times, and understand them. I have some ideas on how to impart that understanding without having to be a lawyer. My concern about returning though is that someone edits or deletes my posts, which may change the meaning or at least make wasteful my time contributed. The solution would be to publish it in book form so it cannot be altered, edited, or otherwise pillaged, but that takes time away from my other endeavors. So it's still rather a conundrum what the best course of action is. Logging out, and off to the field. You all have a safe summer. Chuck |
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Post by admin on May 18, 2022 13:10:34 GMT -8
Thanks, it will be useful for American collectors.
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