Possible Ban on Imports

[juiceguy]

Found this article on a Bill trying to ban imports on some LPS and SPS corals into the US. As if corals weren't already expensive.

http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/con...red-species-protection-82-stony-coral-species

 

[rickytsui]

soon or later they will ban all coral imports since the coral reef is dying and we still take and take and take and we never put anything back

 

[ZANYMASTER]

I support it.Have to save some of the species.

 

[rickytsui]

soon or later all the coral we can buy is gonna be frag only

 

[Dre]

Found this article on a Bill trying to ban imports on some LPS and SPS corals into the US. As if corals weren't already expensive.

http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/con...red-species-protection-82-stony-coral-species

Are you serious ?

 

[skimmerman100]

reef 2 reef has that up! i saw this there. its cool with me as long as we can get some coral farmers to grow these corals in captivity, so we dont touch the ones in the ocean

 

[Dre]

I support it.Have to save some of the species.

+ 1 There are some people that are trying very hard to introduce corals back on the reefs around the world but it's definitely not enough because of the speed of which they are dying and been taken.

 

[oonycxwilloo]

Wow.. I had somebody come pick up some corals from me the other day and spoke about this. Didn't think it was that serious... If this goes through, that mean no more

PRE-ORDER FOR ME!!!

 

[lanacane214]

if the corals are dying in the ocean,why not getting out before they die? they will have a better chance in our tanks:lol_large

 

[Dre]

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Achieve3000, November 10, 2009). What if you wreck coral reefs around Hawaii? It will cost you. Two years ago, the state began to fine those who damage corals. Why? Corals are important to Hawaii's environment. They are also important to tourism.
"People are going to have to be more careful out here…. [If corals keep] getting damaged, we're going to lose [them]," said Laura Thielen. She works for the state of Hawaii. "We have to take some very strong action or else it's going to be too late."
Is charging fines the best way to protect coral reefs? Hawaiian leaders think it is. The reefs give habitats to fish. They help protect shoreline areas during storms. Reefs also support snorkeling and scuba diving industries. Hawaii is home to 84 percent of U.S. corals. About 15 percent is found near the main Hawaiian Islands. They reach from Niihau to the Big Island. Another 69 percent is near the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
The reefs near the northwestern islands are in good shape. But corals near cities on the main Hawaiian Island are suffering. Why? Overfishing can harm corals. So can runoff from farms, waste, and other materials. Careless ocean users are another danger. Boaters and divers can kill a 500-year-old coral. How? Just by touching it. It takes just a few minutes.
In the past, the Hawaiian government almost never charged fines to people who harmed corals. Instead, people were taught about reefs. Leaders asked people to help with the cost of restoring damaged corals. These actions weren't enough, however. In June 2007, Hawaii charged its first-ever fine for breaking corals. It ordered a company to pay $7,300. Why? A boat entered a protected area and broke 11 corals.
Other fines have followed. Maui Snorkel Charters is paying the largest fine so far. In 2006, one of its tour boats sank. No one was hurt. But the company later caused even more damage by trying to bring up the boat. One scientist believes it will take 80 years for the corals to grow back. Maui Snorkel Charters must pay the state $396,000.
In another case, Hawaii plans to sue the U.S. Navy. The Navy damaged a 6- to 10-acre area of coral. How? A ship ran aground. The Navy has already spent nearly $40 million on ship repairs. It has also spent about $7 million restoring the reef.
Florida is also moving to protect its reefs. About 2 percent of U.S. coral is found there. This is more than any state besides Hawaii. In July 2009, Florida passed the Coral Reef Protection Act. People who damage coral reefs can be fined up to $250,000. The state can also sue for unlimited amounts of money. The fees for damaging corals are high. But the cost to the injured coral reefs, and the fish they support, is even higher. Tori Cullins lives in Hawaii. Her company shows tourists around the islands. Cullins supports fines. She says the fines may get people to think about their actions.
"Unless you hit people in the pocketbook, I don't think it's going to matter much," said Cullins.

 

[rickytsui]

i agree with you dre the coral reef is part of out eco system if we mess that up we will be in deep **** 4 sure

 

[beerfish]

This rides a very fine line.

If the corals are in fact endangered, then they need to be protected. However, the loss of interstate trading even for individuals with a federal propagation permit could potentially mean the death of your LFS, as well as nearly all online coral merchants.

In addition, diving and snorkeling in the US would fall under scrutiny, and those industries could suffer as well.

I would urge the supporters of this to seriously consider the repercussions of such an act. Will permits that allow certified aquacultured corals to cross state lines be issued? Will allowances or relief be offered to industries that suffer? Most importantly, will this have the desired effect, and how will re-population of the reefs be measured and monitored?

 

[e.muehlbauer]

On the surface, this appears to be great...protect the wild corals and encourage the development of aquacultured corals. In theory, the wild ones aren't sold or collected, and a healthy trade in fragged and cultured corals replaces it. The reality does not work out so well. I also grow orchids, and there is a close parallel that provides a strong cautionary lesson. In 1990, all international trade in collected ladyslipper orchids (Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium) was banned by CITES. Only legally propagated plants (seedlings and divisions) could be sold. Unfortunately, its not hard to pass off collected plants as propagated plants. Worse, the late 90's/early 2000's saw the discovery of several new species in Vietnam and South America... Supposedly, their propagated offspring would be legal through CITES, but Vietnam had issues with CITES....the end result was a tremendous cash flow for smuggled plants, and the country was nearly stripped bare of these plants...some wild populations may be extinct. What's worse, these plants have been propagated all over the world...yet the USFW and some other countries will not legalize these propagated plants because their parents and grandparents were illegal...the "fruit of the poisoned tree" concept. These plants are all over the world now...except the US, where there is very high demand. So the plants are illegal, and theoretically legal and properly produced plants are as illegal as collected plants....guess which ones will end up in collections? Even conscientious growers end up with collected plants that are represented as propagated...among all slipper species, not just the new ones. The end result is that ladyslipper species are in more danger now than they were 20 years ago when the regulations were put in place. It may very well be that controlled, regulated collection, combined with propagation, is the best means of preserving both corals and plants.

 

[Keith P]

What about heavily taxing collection? If the tax is large enough, it would push the hobby towards aquaculture. The money collected can go back into protecting and restoring the reefs.

 

[Dre]

What about heavily taxing collection? If the tax is large enough, it would push the hobby towards aquaculture. The money collected can go back into protecting and restoring the reefs.

You would pay double for a frag and yes there are many coral farms all over the world but unfortunately most don't put back .That's the reason why we will pay $75 for SPS frags $50 for Yellow tangs and $25 for Blue Green Chromis at the LFS.

 

[bizarrecorals]

technology is more advance now to keep corals at your own home, there are more demands now for the corals than there ever was, the ocean is big but that dosn't mean it'll never run out of corals, if some species have to be banned, there are reasons behind it, Most people don't realize in a large percentage of corals imported before they make it to your homes dies either in the box or during acclimation, not counting idoits working in the LFS thats kills them. I do also support this ban.

 

[grisha]

if it would be up to me i would make illegal to harvest wild coral commercially except for propagation by licensed aquacultures with a 1" frag per spicement limit

 

[Imbarrie]

Does anyone know if there is any sustainable ocean farming for coral?
Like timber companies lease large tracts of land to grow trees for industry, or black pearl farms in the South Pacific.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

That's a good question Imbarrie

 

[ZANYMASTER]

I looked around and I think GARF is one of them.Not sure if that answers the question.