BREAKING NEWS: USFWS Notifies Aquarium Businesses that Importing Listed Corals is Illegal

revhtree

Owner Administrator
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2006
Messages
47,602
Reaction score
85,990
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
USFWS Notifies Aquarium Businesses that Importing Listed Corals is Illegal

Early this afternoon Eastern Standard Time, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement at the Port of Los Angles confirmed that wildlife inspectors were notifying aquarium trade import facilities in Southern California that it is now illegal to import any of the 20 species of coral recently listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This information appears inconsistent with statements released previously by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) saying that there would be no immediate effect of the listings on the marine aquarium trade. Several of the coral species listed are popular aquarium animals with regular imports to aquarium wholesale businesses located in Los Angeles. The announcement of the threatened listings under the ESA came in late August.

Read more here.


EDIT: Now this is being reported


"The Good Catch - A Fisheries Centric Blog NMFS, which has jurisdiction over all marine species listed under the ESA, confirmed moments ago that USFWS's actions this morning were in error. USFWS confirmed they had spoken with NMFS but were waiting for confirmation from their Washington office that it is indeed legal to import the 20 species of coral recently listed under the ESA."

good_zps48bf1402.jpg
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
revhtree

revhtree

Owner Administrator
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2006
Messages
47,602
Reaction score
85,990
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
OP
OP
revhtree

revhtree

Owner Administrator
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2006
Messages
47,602
Reaction score
85,990
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
So what does this mean for us then?

Well so far it's an unknown. If all this holds up it could be illegal to own any of these corals. So far as being reported it it's illegal for wholesalers to have them imported into Southern Cal.
 
Last edited:

franklypre

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
174
Reaction score
12
Location
TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Is this confirmed through any other sources? All it should mean is more yellow tape and better coral farming efforts in the locations that are unrestricted. I highly doubt anyone is looking forward to coral raids on US houses.
 

nic

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Location
Des Moines, IA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Only illegal to import. You can still put your frags on craigslist, ebay, etc. No black market yet.
 

specvjeff

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
390
Reaction score
16
Location
San Diego, CA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
"The Good Catch - A Fisheries Centric Blog NMFS, which has jurisdiction over all marine species listed under the ESA, confirmed moments ago that USFWS's actions this morning were in error. USFWS confirmed they had spoken with NMFS but were waiting for confirmation from their Washington office that it is indeed legal to import the 20 species of coral recently listed under the ESA."
 
OP
OP
revhtree

revhtree

Owner Administrator
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2006
Messages
47,602
Reaction score
85,990
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
"The Good Catch - A Fisheries Centric Blog NMFS, which has jurisdiction over all marine species listed under the ESA, confirmed moments ago that USFWS's actions this morning were in error. USFWS confirmed they had spoken with NMFS but were waiting for confirmation from their Washington office that it is indeed legal to import the 20 species of coral recently listed under the ESA."

Hope you are right!
 

franklypre

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
174
Reaction score
12
Location
TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I called a few wholesalers and they've got shipments comming in for the next few days. No F&W notifications. These coral are banned from specific locations, opening up the possibility of farming them elsewhere and importing them from there correct?
 
OP
OP
revhtree

revhtree

Owner Administrator
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2006
Messages
47,602
Reaction score
85,990
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Here it is:

good_zps48bf1402.jpg
 

Diesel

ME=1, CANCER=0.
View Badges
Joined
Apr 14, 2012
Messages
13,613
Reaction score
16,448
Location
Katy
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
We saw this coming for a while and just hoping it stay with 20 for now, lets pray for this.
 

erk

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 19, 2014
Messages
1,382
Reaction score
2,048
Location
DFW
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think we are over reacting a bit to this news. The restrictions are on importing wild colonies. What you have in your tanks are no longer wild. Selling frags of tank cultured corals should still remain acceptable. I think that in time exceptions will be made for aquacultured and maricultured corals. We shouldn't over react because that makes us just as bad as the over zealous environmentalists that have pushed this legislation. I donated to PIJAC so they can fight this in court and hopefully use the funds we donate to bring scientific evidence that in fact our harvesting of wild specimens isn't a negative thing when practiced correctly. I honestly think we should adopt the methods that the Australian industry has put in place. Listening to the presentation about it from MACNA gives me hope that the marine aquarium industry will come out of this with better legislation to prevent terrible collection practices and ensure that future generations can appreciate nature in the wild and in their aquariums.
 

KorD

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
1,365
Reaction score
931
Location
Northern Texas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think we are over reacting a bit to this news. The restrictions are on importing wild colonies. What you have in your tanks are no longer wild. Selling frags of tank cultured corals should still remain acceptable. .

And how do you later on determine if a coral was tank raised or plucked from the ocean??? do they not only still cary the same DNA/RNA as the ones you are growing in your tanks?
This is just a question, not looking to start a fight.
 

Badspstank

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
Messages
475
Reaction score
80
Location
Sacramento
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I will be selling soap on a rope package deals lol buy 2 get 1 free and no sagging sends the wrong message
 

Acro

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 29, 2014
Messages
503
Reaction score
4
Location
Florida
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So what if someone is getting out of the hobby. What do they expect them to do with the corals, throw them away?!
 

Dixie_reefer

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
783
Reaction score
58
Location
Clarksville, Tn
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Well so far it's an unknown. If all this holds up it could be illegal to own any of these corals. So far as being reported it it's illegal for wholesalers to have them imported into Southern Cal.

So if it becomes illigal for us to own them, what are we supposed to do? Throw them away?.......
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 57 49.6%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 63 54.8%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 26 22.6%
  • None.

    Votes: 28 24.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 7.8%
Back
Top