Tomorrow,I am going to ask our national airlines about the cost of the transport of luggages via airplanes to the USA.If all go well and the cost isn't too high,I am thinking about selling them to clients in the USA,for 100-120 euros each.I know that cuttlefish aren't often available in the USA and I want to help you...As for me,I catch them by fishing every weekend.Each cuttlefish is about 7-8cm long(mantle length) and I have succeeded in keeping one in a 2,5 gallon container,equipped with an air stone,for a day.Thus,I'm sure he will be healthy when shipped to the USA.Is anyone interested in buying cuttlefish?

I found that I can send live cuttlefish via airplane to the USA and I would buy them for 120 euros each.But could anyone tell me if it is permitted from the US authorities,to introduce live cuttlefish in the USA?

I think it is legal, but what are the shipping costs? That's what turns most people off, and customs, and a bunch of stuff that most people don't wanna mess with.

I have calculated that by selling them at 130 euros each,I would have a little profit.What you mean by saying customs?Is it something extra or is it included in the shipping cost(which I know)?Furthermore,a client will also acquire an acrylic aquarium of 2,5 gallons and a battery air-pump with an air-stone,which is the necessary equipment to keep a cuttlefish alive while shipping via air-cargo.

Sepia officinalis require larges tanks of 100 gallons + to sustain them to adulthood. That's why most cuttle keepers just keep sepia bandensis. Customs would probably check your package. I'm not sure if you mean you are sending your clients a 25 gallon tanks, or 2.5. Either of which is way too small for an adult of this species.

I mean 2,5 gallons and filled only in half with sea water,so as to reduce the weight of the package and the cost of the shipping(much difference).The cuttlefish I catch,are juveniles(7cm long) and so such a container is adequate for keeping them alive during the transportation by air-cargo.I have kept a cuttlefish in such a container for a day and with bad circumstances,temperature at 30*C and the water black from the ink.The cuttlefish was 100% healthy!As for the customs,could I send it as ''a present to my friend in the USA'',in order to avoid further costs?

Shipping eggs would be a better idea than live cuttlefish, but eggs are probably harder to get.

Nancy

Yes,eggs would be the best for sale because they are many,so they can be sold to a few customers at once,which means more profit.Furthermore,they could be housed in smaller containers with no extra equipment,reducing my shipping costs.The easiest way I can obtain them is by mating two cuttlefish,Sepia Officinalis,in my new 100gallon aquarium(I haven't built it,yet).Somewhere I have read that cuttlefish can mate,for the first time,at a length of 10cm,so it is not necessary to keep them until they get 45cm long.Anyway,now if anyone is interested in buying 10cm cuttlefish,Sepia Officinalis,for 130 euros(=a few more in dollars),he should send me e-mail,so as to decide the details of the shipment.He must probably go in the near airport to receive the package.

I would be interested in eggs...

Yeah, it would be great if you could supply some eggs to a few different people in different locations in the USA to start letting us Americans get some different species.

:D

I will definitely try it...When I achieve in producing cuttlefish eggs,I will post information in this thread.

Hi,

sorry to barge in on your thread - I accidentally came across this forum while looking up ammonites. Reading of your plans to ship live cuttlefish I was worried that you hadn't mentioned the temperature, I don't know how hardy cuttlefish are but I do know that the baggage hold of a transatlantic plane does get very cold. Maybe the air pressure might be an issue too.

Pharic

I would use styrofoam around the equipment,so as to keep things warm.Furthermore,I could use nylon around the package,in order to avoid the potential different air pressure.

Oh, I wouldn't ship them in a tank. Water would get spilled out the top. Ship them in a bag that you get at pet stores to carry fish home in, but triple bag it, and then put it in the insulated box, with soft stuff all around it so it's not tossing and turning when in flight.

I think some shippers when using bags also top off the bag with pure oxygen so that there is more O2 in the sealed part. I suspect many of these things could freak out the airline security people, too, particularly with all the "liquid explosives" over-hype lately: battery powered (pump) electrical stuff, liquids, and pure oxygen are all probably things that make them nervous... You might want to clear it with some supervisor a few days beforehand, so that if the baggage check people overreact, you can have someone for them to call who's had a chance to see the setup in a calmer setting...

I probably have to buy the large type of the pet store's bag,for transporting cuttlefish.Cuttlefish is not a tiny fish which is usually sold at pet stores,so I need a large bag to transport it.Another question is if the oxygen in the bag,is adequate to keep the cuttlefish alive or if an air-pump is necessary.Anyway,I can make trials for it where I live,before sending it actually to the USA.

People will probably want eggs. With eggs, you won't need to worry about the air pumps, large bags.

Yes,it is obvious that eggs don't need much oxygen,so they could be transported in a small bag.But how can I protect them from breaking during the transportation?I mention this question because eggs are always fragile.

Well, if the bag is filled up with about 1/2 water, 1/2 air, then I don't think the eggs would break. I know that you can't really collect eggs as easily, but maybe you could go diving or something and find some on rocks? Or you could catch some, and mate them for eggs.

I have never been a diver,but as I swim at shallow water,in summer,I do snorkeling and I have never seen cuttlefish eggs.Thus,they must have been put far from the beach,in deeper areas,or at the beach,but during another period of time(for example,spring).The only viable way of producing cuttlefish eggs for me,is by keeping a pair of cuttlefish together in an aquarium in order to mate.This should be quite easy for me as when I want I go in a place one hour away from Athens(by car) and I always catch one 9cm cuttlefish,at least!

Yes, but did you say you catch them with hooks and line? This could possibly injure their mouth parts. If I were you, and I had several people inquiring about these eggs, I would set up a kiddie pool, or pond or something in your basement. If I had a large enough tank, I would take one, but my largest is a 75 gallon, and is a mixed reef.

In order to bring them in the U.S. you have to have a permit or two. At least one from the U.S. government and possibly another from the state they are being brought into. Sometimes it can take over a month to get them. YOu will need at least one from Greece stating that they where collected legaly and sometimes have to have a official sign off on them saying they carry no pathagens.

IIUC the person picking them up will also have to have an import license. There is a reason that this kind of shipping doesn't happen all the time. :smile:

I have talked by phone with people in our airport and they said I am free to send it,from here,but I must take permission from US government(fish and wildlife...) and I have to show it to them.They didn't tell me something else,thus I think this permission is what is required.Could anyone ask them for me or give me a phone or e-mail of this department of the US government?

http://www.fws.gov/

Thanks!I have sent them an e-mail and I am waiting for response.

How do you catch them? Hooks? I don't think I would buy one that was caught with a hook...

Cuttlefish dont travel all that well, you would do MUCH better to send them as eggs, thats how many cuttles are being imported now.

Yes, make sure you have all the paperwork, I think it costs too

I don't think that cuttlefish,which is caught using hooks,is less healthy than a cuttlefish which is caught using an alternative way.Furthermore,I would probably be charged of being a terrorist if I shipped live cuttlefish in the USA,due to the big amount of water in the container(5 liters)!

I would go diving to find eggs, or breed some in a very large aquarium.

Diving is my last option because I am afraid of sharks and here in the Mediterranean,the Great White Shark is a constant resident(and a constant threat!).