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Hi Everyone...
This is mostly an issue for those of us in the states, but it may also affect anyone traveling through the USA. This is copied from what I posted in a new FaceBook Group called 'Educate TSA'.
I experienced the unfortunate mistake of having some fish confiscated at the San Antonio airport by TSA last weekend. Let's get this problem fixed once and for all. TSA has POLICY in place to permit the carrying of fish through security, but not all TSA agents are aware of it. Let's all do the following steps and get the problem fixed:
1) Look up the contact information for the TSA Coordination Center at the airport in your area, send that person an email, or call them, and ask them to make all the agents aware of the TSA policy for live fish. You can refer them to the 'Can I Bring" tool on the TSA.gov website for an easy place to see that live fish are permitted through check points.
2) Send an email to [email protected] and ask for clarification of the rules. You will get a response that confirms that live fish can be carried through the check points. Make a paper copy of this entire email. Every time you fly anywhere, for any reason, take a bag of fish with you (a single feeder guppy will suffice) and a copy of the email. If you have a smart phone, down load the TSA Mobile application which has the 'Can I Bring' tool on it and have it ready when you go through security. If you are told that you cannot carry the fish through, politely inform them that you can, show them the letter and demonstrate that live fish are permitted using the 'Can I Bring' tool on your smart phone.
3) Post these instructions in every aquarium forum you can access.
If this does not work, and your fish is confiscated, make sure that you get a business card from the agent with the contact information for the local TSA coordination center AND the agent's name. When you get home, send a letter to the TSA contact email address ([email protected]) and the address for the local coordination center on the card explaining what happened... be sure to use the agent's name.
Post your experiences on this group page. Let's build a list of airports where the agents know the policy and permit live fish through. Let's keep going until carrying live fish through TSA security is well documented and becomes are part of the taught standard operating procedures for all TSA security agents.
This is mostly an issue for those of us in the states, but it may also affect anyone traveling through the USA. This is copied from what I posted in a new FaceBook Group called 'Educate TSA'.
I experienced the unfortunate mistake of having some fish confiscated at the San Antonio airport by TSA last weekend. Let's get this problem fixed once and for all. TSA has POLICY in place to permit the carrying of fish through security, but not all TSA agents are aware of it. Let's all do the following steps and get the problem fixed:
1) Look up the contact information for the TSA Coordination Center at the airport in your area, send that person an email, or call them, and ask them to make all the agents aware of the TSA policy for live fish. You can refer them to the 'Can I Bring" tool on the TSA.gov website for an easy place to see that live fish are permitted through check points.
2) Send an email to [email protected] and ask for clarification of the rules. You will get a response that confirms that live fish can be carried through the check points. Make a paper copy of this entire email. Every time you fly anywhere, for any reason, take a bag of fish with you (a single feeder guppy will suffice) and a copy of the email. If you have a smart phone, down load the TSA Mobile application which has the 'Can I Bring' tool on it and have it ready when you go through security. If you are told that you cannot carry the fish through, politely inform them that you can, show them the letter and demonstrate that live fish are permitted using the 'Can I Bring' tool on your smart phone.
3) Post these instructions in every aquarium forum you can access.
If this does not work, and your fish is confiscated, make sure that you get a business card from the agent with the contact information for the local TSA coordination center AND the agent's name. When you get home, send a letter to the TSA contact email address ([email protected]) and the address for the local coordination center on the card explaining what happened... be sure to use the agent's name.
Post your experiences on this group page. Let's build a list of airports where the agents know the policy and permit live fish through. Let's keep going until carrying live fish through TSA security is well documented and becomes are part of the taught standard operating procedures for all TSA security agents.