Becoming a registered breeder/transhipping/import license

I am wondering if someone can give me some insight on how to become a registered breeder? Also I am wondering about how to obtain an import license? As well as info on transhippers? I am basically just looking to know more about those things but I can't seem to find anything online...other than you have to apply through the government...well that seems to only give me info on selling fish to eat?! Maybe I read that wrong...it is late. Maybe someone on the forum would have a link to some helpful info

i was going to this there is alot of paper work now that im looking into opening my own store i maydo it again but i will see if i can get it sent to me from NS

There is no breeder registry I know of. To tranship, you need to be at a major port of entry airport, have a small warehouse and thousands of bucks to absorb losses (if you buy a $5000 shipment and it arrives dead, you may save your money with the seller, but the $2000 shipping has to be paid to the airline), to be able to swear in five languages and to stay up all night on a regular basis.

If you were to set up to distribute regionally, you would need to incorporate as a small business, and have a space with tanks, knowledge of the market and a good transportation hub. I know the main importers in Montreal have had a lot of trouble with their Atlantic Canada market as Air Canada is using smaller planes with less cargo capacity, and trucking the fish costs a small fortune. Distribution has been a costly problem. Around Saint John, they used to get their fish via Florida directly, but the price of aquarium fish there really knocks you back - twice the cost.

Thank you @GaryE! That was amazingly explained! Now...how does purchasing through a transhipper work? Is Hung Pham (I believe) the closest transhipper to me or just the most mentioned?
The only reason I asked about becoming a registered breeder is cause when researching it usually mentions top breeders and I figured since you need to be registered to breed/sell dogs that maybe they had gone the same with fish too.

GaryE wrote:To tranship, you need to be at a major port of entry airport, to be able to swear in five languages and to stay up all night on a regular basis.

It sounds like I am eligible! Anybody with a warehouse and money? I'll do the swearing.....

I can do the staying up all night I wanna witness the swearing in different languages! lol

I swear in five languages driving... English, French, Italian, Greek and Portuguese. You have to do something really dumb in your car to get the Greek or Portuguese...

There may be pedigree clubs for flowerhorn hybrid cichlids, guppies or other 'fancies' (fish genetically modified to human tastes by breeders). I know there are clubs and shows. They resemble the dog and cat world for that, but I don't think there are registered breeders. I don't keep fancies, but what I do keep is kept in total anarchy....

Trans-shipping usually means buying from an international source because you have developed contacts, receiving the fish and immediately sending them on their way to customers. The trans-shipper takes a cut in the process, and it can be lucrative.

But it takes resources and a sense of risk. I unpack a dozen or so international shipments a year, as I have a friend in the business and he invites me to help out when he knows stuff I'd like to see is coming. It's a crazy line of work to be in - you need a lot of energy, not to have kids (that cut me out - you have to prioritize the job and kids come first) and space for a lot of large tanks.

A lot of friends and aquarium club acquaintances have decided to make it a business over the years. A couple have really done well, but most lost their shirts and their hobby. I've seen importing companies, food companies, pet shops, breeder set ups, a basement angel fish hatchery producing thousands of fish per month, etc. Unfortunately, it's a great way to inspire yourself to change hobbies.

Over the years, I have found ways to basically break even in enjoying my hobby without draining the family finances, but it's a scramble.

I think I will stick to the Canadian suppliers lol I've seen so much on Aquabid about transhipper this and that and was SO CONFUSED!! lol I am a little clearer on that now and still quite sure that I still would not want to go that route with an order so I will stick to my within Canada suppliers Thanks for the info though. Helping unpack would be so awesome!

In the Koi world there is what I call "Recognized" breeders. If your looking for the top blood lines in a particular fish, your looking for certain breeders.

As an example Dainichi koi Farm is probably the most recognized name in Showa and Kohaku Koi. If your looking for the best in these two varieties you are looking for Koi directly from Dainichi. If you can't afford their fish you at least want the fish to have Dainichi parents.

I use a Trans-shipper out of Alberta, she imports Koi for a lot of pet stores and private collectors. On given shipping dates, usually every second week from the first of March to the end of May, she travels to Vancouver and set's up shop to look after incoming shipments. She clears the shipments through customs, reoxygenizes the bags, etc and redirects them to their final destination. For me because it's such a long trip she usually brings my fish back to Alberta for a two week resting period before sending them on to NL.  

I have(am) considering doing this myself but I am so far from away from Japan, that it may never make sense. Not to mention the minimums for doing it myself are kind of large. I have been getting requests for fancy types of goldfish that I am considering for next Spring shipping and I will probably do it the same way.

If anyone is interested as to how this is all done you can go to Ornafish's website and have a poke around. They are probably the largest Koi exporter in Japan. You can sort the listing by breeder and/or quality and see a 30 sec video of each assortment available. These will be the actual fish they ship.

http://www.ornafish.com/stock

Steve

Thank you for your input also @Sbenson11! Much appreciated!