Every fish and wildlife service inspector that you talk to will tell you
something different. The basic problem is that the law requires wildlife
imports to come through designated ports, but there is no way to control the
port of entry for a mailed package. I wrote an article on the subject for
American Conchologist 24(4):14
 
"A USFWS inspector in New York advised me that because of the way
international mail is handled, their policy is that mail is not required to
use designated ports. The inspector indicated, however, that technically one
must still submit a Declaration for the Importation or Exportation of Fish
or Wildlife (Form 3-177) after import of specimens to the United States. In
the case of export, Form 3-177 must be filed, except for wildlife that is
not intended for sale where the value is under $250."
 
See <http://erato.acnatsci.org:80/conchnet/rose1296.html> for the full text
of the article.
 
Gary
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Gary Rosenberg, Ph.D.                     [log in to unmask]
Malacology & Invertebrate Paleontology    gopher://erato.acnatsci.org
Academy of Natural Sciences               http://www.acnatsci.org
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