The term "new normal" spread during Covid as a
reality check to how drastically our lives have changed during the pandemic.
The term is now also appropriate for the shell
collecting community in that [at least in the
U.S.] Fish & Wildlife (F&W), a department within
the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, is now taking a
more active role in screening the import and
export of wildlife . . . this includes
mollusks. It does not matter if what you are
sending or receiving from overseas is a protected
species or not, F&W want as comprehensive a
record of wildlife passing across the borders.
Why the seemingly sudden change? F&W have to
substantiate their existence. They are funded in
large part by the fees they charge for
inspections of shipments entering and exiting the
country. Those who send and receive shell
parcels on a regular basis have probably been
flagged at least once for inspection. There have
been a rash of screenings in the past 15 to 20
months that I am aware of ... more for imports
than exports. And this is for collectors, not
dealers. I have been asked numerous times this
past year for advice by collectors.
In fact, I was on the phone today with a well
known collector who had a box shipped from
Indonesia [via regular mail] stopped and
confiscated by F&W as it entered into the U.S.
through San Francisco. In the parcel was a
couple of Cymbiola vespertilio and another
shell. F&W removed and confiscated the shells
and sent on "an empty box" to the collector with
paperwork for him to "petition" their office as
to why he should receive the shells -- i.e. write
a short essay as to why he is receiving the
shells and for what purpose. The petition is
then reviewed by the F&W agent who determines
whether the shells stay confiscated or are passed to the recipient.
Yes, the new normal. Because I deal with shells
as a business, I interact with F&W in my area
multiple times per week, for years now, and have
learned the ins and outs of the bureaucracy. I
have also had lengthy discussions with agents
relative to the 5-W's about how this all works
(and doesn't work for many). Those of you who
receive and send multiple boxes per month in and
out of the county who have not yet been targeted
by F&W might very well get an introduction to the "new normal" soon.
Dealing with F&W should not be a deterrent or
feared. Learning about handling the required
3-177 (aka edec) form for reporting wildlife
imports and exports should now be part of your Conchology 101 course.
I'm not being melodramatic in writing this. Our
hobby has been uncovered by F&W and they, along
with U.S. Customs are more closely screening
boxes with wildlife (not just shells). It used to
be that only commercial dealers had to interact
with F&W to conduct overseas business
legally. It even says this [buried deep] in the
reams of legal documents published by F&W. That
no longer seems to be the case.
A final thought. Each of the dozen or so F&W
field offices around the country enforce the
regulations differently; some are very strict ...
others are more flexible depending of the agent
and situation. The agents also readily admit
they cannot screen every shipment of wildlife
crossing the borders; especially small boxes of
shells. There are too many shipment sources and
uncountable numbers of shipments to deal
with. But that does not mean yours might not be
stopped at any time ... it is a roll of the dice.
My advice to the collector I spoke with today
was, write your essay; state the true facts (you
are not a dealer, the shells sent to you are not
protected under CITES, and that if you need him
to fill out the edec form he will do
so). Unfortunately I know from experience that
most shipments, once confiscated, are rarely released after the fact.
Beyond the information provided in the COA
publication on the subject of protected species,
the intricacies of reporting shipments and other
regulation details when dealing with F&W should
be addressed at some point in the future so that
the uncertainty instilled by receiving one of the
screening notifications does not ruin your shell collecting experience.
Rich G.
At 05:14 PM 11/10/2021, David Berschauer wrote:
>Tom,
>
>There was a series of articles on the topic.
>Fight the bastards! Truth is on your side.
>
>David P. Berschauer
>
>Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Nov 10, 2021, at 4:54 PM, Thomas Eichhorst <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > Just got a shipment of shells from an
> online auction that ended in June. The package
> arrived in New York 4 1/2 months ago and then
> disappeared. When it finally came today it
> arrived with a notice from the US Fish &
> Wildlife that I was in violation of their
> statutes for importing wildlife or wildlife
> products without a permit, and that I must
> blah, blah, blah -- bunch of federal
> legalize. This for a cowrie, a small buccinid,
> and three nerites. I am reminded of a recent
> series in The Festivus that described a similar
> problem. So...online auction buying might get bruised a bit...
> >
> > Tom E
> >
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