Check out this petition for endangered corals

[Jan]

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaig...on_10-20-09.pdf

 

The 83 coral species covered by the Petition are as follows:

Acanthastrea brevis

Acanthastrea hemprichii

Acanthastrea ishigakiensis

Acanthastrea regularis

Acropora aculeus

Acropora acuminata

Acropora aspera

Acropora dendrum

Acropora donei

Acropora globiceps

Acropora horrida

Acropora jacquelineae

Acropora listeri

Acropora lokani

Acropora microclados

Acropora palmerae

Acropora paniculata

Acropora pharaonis

Acropora polystoma

Acropora retusa

Acropora rudis

Acropora speciosa

Acropora striata

Acropora tenella

Acropora vaughani

Acropora verweyi

Agaricia lamarcki

Alveopora allingi

Alveopora fenestrata

Alveopora verrilliana

Anacropora puertogalerae

Anacropora spinosa

Astreopora cucullata

Barabattoia laddi

Caulastrea echinulata

Cyphastrea agassizi

Cyphastrea ocellina

Dendrogyra cylindrus

Dichocoenia stokesii

Euphyllia cristata

Euphyllia paraancora

Euphyllia paradivisa

Galaxea astreata

Heliopora coerulea

Isopora crateriformis

Isopora cuneata

Leptoseris incrustans

Leptoseris yabei

Millepora foveolata

Millepora tuberosa

Montastraea annularis

Montastraea faveolata

Montastraea franksi

Montipora angulata

Montipora australiensis

Montipora calcarea

Montipora caliculata

Montipora dilatata

Montipora flabellata

Montipora lobulata

Montipora patula

Mycetophyllia ferox

Oculina varicosa

Pachyseris rugosa

Pavona bipartita

Pavona cactus

Pavona decussata

Pavona diffluens

Pavona venosa

Pectinia alcicornis

Physogyra lichtensteini

Pocillopora danae

Pocillopora elegans

Porites horizontalata

Porites napopora

Porites nigrescens

Porites pukoensis

Psammocora stellata

Seriatopora aculeata

Turbinaria mesenterina

Turbinaria peltata

Turbinaria reniformis

Turbinaria stellula

 

Edited December 21, 2009 by Jan

[OUsnakebyte]

I've been hearing about this for a while. It basically gets more Caribbean stonies on the list, as well as those in US Pacific waters.

Edited December 21, 2009 by OUsnakebyte

[davelin315]

I have to wonder what impact this would have on our hobby. As far as I know it's illegal to keep an endangered species without a permit and looking down the list, there's a lot of these that are in our tanks.

[treesprite]

I am assuming that if collection is banned, they aren't going to tell us we have to get rid of the captive specimens that already exist, nor ban the propagation of those specimens as long as people can prove they were already in captivity.

[davelin315]

I doubt that. If you possess an endangered species you possess an endangered species. Not that I think it would get policed very well, but I would think that someone would start monitoring sites like this and look for the trade of endangered species.

 

FYI, here's the relevant section of the ESA.

 

SEC. 9. (a) GENERAL.

[zygote2k]

when corals are outlawed, only outlaws will have corals.

 

This issue is a great excuse to push the 100% aquaculture program to the forefront of the hobby. If you're not harvesting from the ocean, you're not part of the problem. If collection were banned today, there are enough corals in captivity to keep the market going. I'm sure it would take a beating, but it would survive. I'm all for this ban.

[steveoutlaw]

when corals are outlawed, only outlaws will have corals.

 

This issue is a great excuse to push the 100% aquaculture program to the forefront of the hobby. If you're not harvesting from the ocean, you're not part of the problem. If collection were banned today, there are enough corals in captivity to keep the market going. I'm sure it would take a beating, but it would survive. I'm all for this ban.

 

 

Cool.....I'm an outlaw so I'm safe, right??

 

Ok, so how do you prove that something wasn't collected from the ocean? Any LFS can say, "I got this frag from so and so and have been growing it out". I see a lot of leeway on the side of enforcement.

 

Lastly, what about not for profit trade? It seems like the only version of this that exists is between hobbyists. If you trade somehting in to a LFS for store credit, they are going to sell it for a profit........and now we're illegal.

 

I see this as very dangerous they way they are pursuing it. Granted something has to be done, but you don't cut your arm off for a hangnail.

[davelin315]

I don't think you'd be allowed any sort of trade in these even if they were certified captive bred because they are all traced back to the oceans. Only trading between hobbyists would exist I think, but then again, I haven't read the ESA very closely.

[Origami]

It's not clear that they want to list all the corals as "endangered." The petition does seek to cover the 83 listed corals that have already been designated as "threatened" by the IUCN on the Endangered Species Act. Many of the listed corals are listed as "vulnerable," for example. Per page 2:

 

"This petition seeks to list 83 species of corals which are designated as threatened with extinction by the IUCN and which occur in United States waters and thus stand to benefit mostfrom listing under the US Endangered Species Act (“ESA”)."

 

Notable is the focus on increased concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and the threat they pose to corals through acidification of our oceans. Quoted also from page 2:

 

"The best available science clearly indicates that the petitioned coral species are threatened with extinction before mid-century due to the increasing frequency of mass bleaching events at harmfully intervals and the projected dissolution of corals due to ocean acidification. At today’s atmospheric carbon dioxide level of ~387 ppm, corals are experiencing detrimental bleaching events, and many of the world’s reefs are committed to irreversible declines (Veron et al. 2009). Already, corals have been impacted by climate change, and mass bleaching events have become more frequent and severe with serious coral mortality resulting. The committed warming from greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere is projected to cause over half of the world’s coral reefs, including reefs in the Indian Ocean and most of the Pacific, to experience harmfully frequent bleaching at five-year intervals by or before 2080 (Donner 2009)."

 

The focus on adding another tool to the Executive branch's arsenal to regulate carbon emissions through regulatory agencies such as the EPA is hinted at from the statement on page 4:

 

"Clearly, immediate action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations to levels that do not jeopardize the petitioned coral species."

 

Interestingly enough, with increased acidification of the world's oceans, controlled environments such as aquariums may be the final refuge for these organisms. As the argument goes, without correction, the increase in greenhouse gasses will further reduce the pH of oceans, slowing the growth of and ultimately killing off vast areas of coral reefs worldwide.

[bluefunelement]

when corals are outlawed, only outlaws will have corals.

 

This issue is a great excuse to push the 100% aquaculture program to the forefront of the hobby. If you're not harvesting from the ocean, you're not part of the problem. If collection were banned today, there are enough corals in captivity to keep the market going. I'm sure it would take a beating, but it would survive. I'm all for this ban.

 

 

+100

[Sharkey18]

If it follows in any way the trade of other endangered species it would be perfectly legal to propagate and sell captive "bred" or raised specimens on the list.

 

I have a parrot that is critically endangered in the wild (Indonesia) but is being bred and sold in the US in great numbers. Trade in these type of animals usually require a CITES certificate.

 

Trust me, once wild capture becomes illegal, prices go up and it becomes fiscally worth while to pour money into propagation.

 

Now enforcement? I have no idea how they would do it other than incredibly strict penalties ($$ and jail time) to anyone caught illegally importing. The risk becomes too great so most people won't even try it.

 

Remember the story about the dude smuggling birds in his pants??

I can see it now: acros in your skivvies.....

 

Laura

PS I would also support the ban....

[Black Mammoth]

when corals are outlawed, only outlaws will have corals.

 

This issue is a great excuse to push the 100% aquaculture program to the forefront of the hobby. If you're not harvesting from the ocean, you're not part of the problem. If collection were banned today, there are enough corals in captivity to keep the market going. I'm sure it would take a beating, but it would survive. I'm all for this ban.

 

That's only part of the problem. The other part is how the reefs are endangered by other variables....such as rising temperature and pollution. As Dave as pointed out, I think all will be a problem. How do you police that and prove that it was aqua-cultured? It is near impossible. I believe that there are people that can propagate an endangered animal, but they have to have special permits. I think that the effort for aqua-cultured corals needs to be going full stream...now! This would help prevent and stop part of the problem. It won't be the silver bullet because of the other problems mentioned earlier (temps, pollution, etc). It would be interesting if WAMAS could get a special permit to have these endangered animals for the sole purpose of propagation and re-population.

[zygote2k]

It is illegal to hunt elephants for their ivory, but buying and selling of old ivory is still legal. I'm sure if you have an outlawed coral in your tank before the ban, it will be grandfathered in.

[Kevin Garrison]

Remember the story about the dude smuggling birds in his pants??

I can see it now: acros in your skivvies.....

 

That brings to mind Johnny's recent issues with his thumb... I think the skivvies would be a BAD idea

 

But I do agree with Rob, if we outlaw these corals then only one group will have them. I also agree with the ban and forcing the aquaculture program.

[davelin315]

Obviously the intent of the legislation is conservation and the conversation has taken an interesting turn towards conservation and the impact on our hobby, so let's move this to the conservation corner forum.

[Charlie]

The focus on adding another tool to the Executive branch's arsenal to regulate carbon emissions through regulatory agencies such as the EPA is hinted at from the statement on page 4:

 

"Clearly, immediate action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations to levels that do not jeopardize the petitioned coral species."

 

+ 1

 

Another point though, my father used to have a commercial fisherman's license in Virginia. Each catch that he sold the wholesaler or fish market that he sold to had to record his license number, name, address, phone number and quanity of each thing sold. so if he sold 1000 clams and 25 Rock fish, then that would be recorded. He would send his report each month to the state and the market would do the same. This type of system could easily be adapted to the LFS with trade ins. For instance, if I sold a frag (or traded) or a colony to the LFS, he would record my info, then when the coral police come in, he has a verifiable record. All they have to do is call me and ask "Did you trade a frag of coral X to LFS Y in January?"

 

What am I thinking? Simplicity and logic are rarely involved in anything that the government does.

[Boret]

If the species are endangered.... aren't we doing humanity a favor by keeping and propagating specimens even if it is in our tanks? Maybe at some point we will have to start gluing frags to the reefs!

[zygote2k]

I've already started on the right path to 100% aquaculture- I only used recycled fish and corals in all my maintenance tanks.

A while back, I proposed making a coral bank but was met with extreme opposition. Once again, I'd like to propose that we as a group start this somehow and get the ball rolling in the conservation direction.

[Aquariareview]

I am all behind the 100% concept. There is a small group out here in WA that are all about fragging. they have a few guys who have 250 plus species. I think we should all propagate and if we could grow enough the Gov should have some kind of grant to anyone who could return coral to US south pacific reefs.

 

It makes as much or more sense as some of the other (pork) stuff we spend money on.

Edited December 25, 2009 by Aquariareview

[zygote2k]

Who's got a big system that is willing to have it become the WAMAS coral bank?

Anyone?