Importer-exporter
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| A very happy importer-exporter with her coral samples. Photo by Kharis Schrage. |
- the TV show Seinfeld
Friends, my field work in Palau is ending exactly the way it began: with paperwork. Corals are highly regulated, much more so than any other invertebrate. Every single coral species falls under the Convention on the International Trade of Exotic Species. That means you can only ship them internationally with a permit, and samples have to be inspected before leaving the country of origin. There is exactly one CITES inspector in Palau, and every researcher knows her by first name. I filled out my form carefully, laid out my samples in the lab for her to inspect, and waited for her to show up. It took a couple of stamps, a signature, and a fee, but I got my permit. We are cleared for export!
When I get back to the US, I have to declare my samples to customs and hand over some paperwork to Fish and Wildlife. The hand-off takes place at our first port of entry (in this case Honolulu), so there’s always this moment of tension when I'm not sure if I forgot something and am going to get sent back, have to surrender my samples, or get stuck and miss my next flight. I’ve been really thorough this trip and am already in communication with the Fish and Wildlife station in Hawaii, but still - there’s always that nagging anxiety.
I’m registered as the importer and exporter on all the paperwork, which I find quite amusing. It’s just one more of the titles that fit under the umbrella of “scientist.” This trip has yielded a total of 565 samples, 360 of which are corals. I am grateful for that number, and I hope we sail through customs!
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