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

[hart24601]

Ok. No one should try to educate the public about our hobby, nor should we have any interest in legislation that impacts out hobby. There is no one out there that is lobbying for the end of coral collection and those people and/or groups coupled with public opinion have zero impact on any regulations that get passed.

 

[Isoprene]

IMO posts like this should not be allowed on this forum.

It sheds a light on the misinformed and plays into social and internet media hype. This scares people away from an already "weird" and "different" hobby, that most dont really understand the first thing about. It saddens me that these kind of discussions are allowed to go on. The community does not need tid bits of information to worry and get hyped up about. This is NOT what a community of passionate hobbyists needs. Nor a community trying to attract positive viewpoints and education of the ignorant. When real, solid information gets passed down the pipeline from reputable sources, then it should be posted and splashed across Facebook.

The government and wildlife protection agencies have greater problems then a bunch of nerds trying to grow coral. If anything they will just stop the import of, like it has been repeated in this forum post over and over, the import of WILD, ILLEGALLY obtained colonies.

If you want this hobby to keep on keeping on, then start with baby steps and realize the damage these posts can do to public opinion of "us" hobbyists.

 

[hart24601]

The posts certainly are good at showing arrogance, if nothing else.

 

[Blackbox]

Our hobby may be the only preserve for many species that will eventually be lost to environmental impact, to make it illegal would be idiotic.

 

[xcorallusx]

whats next from Obama, Affordable frag act LOL?

 

[revhtree]

This was reported from a reputable source and the fact, so far, is that it DID happen. BUT it was in error. For all anyone knew, at the time, it did happen and that was some news to be shared.

 

[Adam Baggett]

It is very simple, we all need to come together and stand as one. Educate everyone that we are not destroying the reefs and taking so many fish and coral that they are going extinct. We need to support agencies like PIJAC so they can gather the information and show that this is not the case. Australia went through this about 10 years ago, same situation and they came together and resolved it. We MUST do the same, we must educate and lobby. PIJAC is the way to go right now but they are not the end solution, we need an advisory council that is dedicated to this. But in the mean time we need to donate to PIJAC so they can get the ball rolling, we can do without that one piece of equipment or coral or fish for now. I have donated $100 to this because I would like to have Staghorn and Elkhorn in my tank.

Lets stand together in one voice..!!


Here are some links for you all.
Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) - https://www.pijac.org/ADF

Sustainable Wild Collection of Australian Fish and Corals by Julian Baggio | MACNA 2014 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxulqw2zXbQ&list=UUcJv2rQDivg8NwXIxydJ86A

Replay of the Live Q&A Session With Mr. Saltwater Tank About Listing of Corals As "Endangered" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVwkh27b59c&list=UUCzKPoHKV7TZal7Hf2aEGCA

If we do not do this or do nothing and we have a divided attitude, "Well I got mine", it will mean the end of our hobby as we know it because you know they will go after soft coral and fish next....!!!

 

[96silvia]

Please nobody take offense, but sense when do the "smart people" in the government get it right?
just because scientists say its right or needs too happen that doesn't make it true... Ie: (global warming making animals extinct. http://Ooops! First animal claimed extinct due to ‘climate change’ found ‘alive and well’)sorry I had to throw that in. Lets use a little bit of common sense here please.
The government and the people that are running it are just as fallible as any other human. They make mistakes all the time. saving corals in the wild is really important. but How much of our hobby is killing the coral? I am positive there are other things like boats, snorkeling, storms and warmer water that are causing corals to die. Has there been a study on this? I have heard of studies of people in the hobby trying to help grow coral and return it to the wild.

 

[Ole Man]

So where do we stand Revh?Did this really happen or not ? And I do realize that its being pushed to the max at congress,but still can't find any information here on the East coast that tells us anything so thats the question....It did or It did not??? Please help :help:

 

[rppvt]

They didn't listen to us when these things began dying off. When, through the actions of capitalistic corporate greed and indiscriminate waste management, the oceans finally do collapse, will the world turn hopefully to us hobbyists, who have maternally nurtured the only surviving members of these corals? Will they listen to us then, when it's time to re-seed these aquatic wastelands? Will they have learned that we were not the problem but the only hope?

 

[Ole Man]

Thats exactly right I agree with you !!!!!!!! If anyones interested I invite you to go to Volunteer Reef Junkies Reef Club and you can read the actual Bill and what corals are being endangered.Just as soon as they figure out how to handle the hobby end of this we will be hurtin.Thanks for reading and please check out our backup thread on VRJRC and yes we are part of the R2R family,Thank You Reefers

 

[Ike]

I don't know all the facts surrounding the listing of these species as threatened, however no one here does. There sure do seem to be a lot of people here that seem to think they do know the facts. Can a single person here make a valid argument that the corals being listed aren't threatened? I would also like to see a single valid and cogent argument showing that our hobby is anything but destructive to natural reefs. That said, this listing could ultimately mean virtually nothing to the hobby, the Bangaii cardinal has been listed for years, they are readily available from the wild as ever.

History has shown that man is very destructive and can do some serious damage to natural animal populations and habitats. Anyone that has seen reefs in the Philippines in the early 80's on can attest to that. More recently, just talk to a diver about fish populations in Hawaii now vs. 20 years ago. The destruction of those reefs and the smaller fish populations was surely in part due to our hobby. People in this hobby need to stop acting like it's somehow our right to keep any species we want and looking at coral and fish as something plentiful and disposable.

I'm not supporting any legislation, but if there ends up being real data to support an import ban on certain species I'm all for it. What I'm afraid of is the slippery slope that follows, and a misguided ban on all species. It's scary, but what's happening to our natural reefs is even scarier. The sky is not falling people! At least not yet...

 

[Neptunes Cove]

maybe someone already said it, but
-it seems that these are protected in these certain areas
and we already cannot get these corals from these locations
this is apparently just to clarify something that has been in place since the early1990s
we already were baned from getting any stoney coras from the Caribbean/ US Virgin Islands/ Guam/ ect...
there is no mention of Indo pacific/ Bali/ Tonga/ Austaralia/ Sumatra/ Java ect...
my Importers and even LA distributors have orders coming in- just not acro cerviceps from Samoa (but they neverdid...)

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

 

[Adam Baggett]

Ike I do agree with you that man is very destructive but I do not believe that it is our hobby that is destroying the reefs. Look at the size of the reefs and then look at how much coral is Aquaculture and Mariculture now, its a lot and increasing all the time and the same goes for fish. You you will always want that rare coral or fish and pay a lot for it.

My answer to your post is if you don't like it then don't do it, we can do a lot of good, more than harm. Think of all the coral in the fish tanks and public aquariums around the world. If we lose a reef we can replant it with the same coral that was originally there. I for one would donate coral for a good cause and if you read about this we (The tank keepers) cause a fraction of the damage that is being caused. A lot of the damage is coming from farm run-off and other damage not us. I watched a YouTube video a little while ago and it was a dive and you could see where a boat anchor had been dropped on a reef and it had been dragged through the reef by the boat destroying everything as it went.

My comment to people that say "We are destructive" is KNOW YOUR FACTS BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH..!! If you don't like it the get out of the hobby, or just have a box or water with nothing in it. Also dont eat that burger or steak that you like because apparently all the cows in the world are causing a huge methane problem in the atmosphere, don't drive that car that you like because of the emissions it gives off.

If we come together as a community we can do a great deal of good, if we say no wild coral that is on the list then it must be Aquaculture and Mariculture. Do not ban something that you do not understand...! I read as much as I can about this, the good and the bad from both sides, I try not to be on one side or another but to absorb the facts.

Watch this video and see how Australia managed this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxulqw2zXbQ&list=UUcJv2rQDivg8NwXIxydJ86A

 

[H2O]

http://m.iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/3/034004/article

Reef damage done by reef hobby VS. Damage done to reef by Government and their corporations
Let's compare apples to apples

 

[H2O]

Who remember this disaster BP paid bilions to fix the ocean after the oil spill the lawyers took all the money and the ocean didn't even get a water change
BP Oil Spill : NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration

 

[H2O]

There goes the government again

Great Barrier Reef Sediment Dump Approved For One Of World's Most Fragile Ecosystems

 

[G_Sanab922]

IMO posts like this should not be allowed on this forum.

It sheds a light on the misinformed and plays into social and internet media hype. This scares people away from an already "weird" and "different" hobby, that most dont really understand the first thing about. It saddens me that these kind of discussions are allowed to go on. The community does not need tid bits of information to worry and get hyped up about. This is NOT what a community of passionate hobbyists needs. Nor a community trying to attract positive viewpoints and education of the ignorant. When real, solid information gets passed down the pipeline from reputable sources, then it should be posted and splashed across Facebook.

The government and wildlife protection agencies have greater problems then a bunch of nerds trying to grow coral. If anything they will just stop the import of, like it has been repeated in this forum post over and over, the import of WILD, ILLEGALLY obtained colonies.

If you want this hobby to keep on keeping on, then start with baby steps and realize the damage these posts can do to public opinion of "us" hobbyists.

+1 on your comment..

 

[G_Sanab922]

I don't know all the facts surrounding the listing of these species as threatened, however no one here does. There sure do seem to be a lot of people here that seem to think they do know the facts. Can a single person here make a valid argument that the corals being listed aren't threatened? I would also like to see a single valid and cogent argument showing that our hobby is anything but destructive to natural reefs. That said, this listing could ultimately mean virtually nothing to the hobby, the Bangaii cardinal has been listed for years, they are readily available from the wild as ever.

History has shown that man is very destructive and can do some serious damage to natural animal populations and habitats. Anyone that has seen reefs in the Philippines in the early 80's on can attest to that. More recently, just talk to a diver about fish populations in Hawaii now vs. 20 years ago. The destruction of those reefs and the smaller fish populations was surely in part due to our hobby. People in this hobby need to stop acting like it's somehow our right to keep any species we want and looking at coral and fish as something plentiful and disposable.

I'm not supporting any legislation, but if there ends up being real data to support an import ban on certain species I'm all for it. What I'm afraid of is the slippery slope that follows, and a misguided ban on all species. It's scary, but what's happening to our natural reefs is even scarier. The sky is not falling people! At least not yet...

I live in the keys, staghorn and elkhorn is definitely endangered, I have a boat and go often to different areas down here diving and spearfishing. I've only seen it a handful of times. it's pretty rare. I get messages from members who come down here to dive and asks if I know where they can dive to see them. I agree, endangered species should be protected. Look at the goliath grouper, after many many years of being on the endangered list they are now considering opening up a limited bag limit for them because they have made a huge comeback. Everyone in FL is happy and grateful for it. Now if they can do the same for these other corals? That would be nice for our future generations to be able to enjoy. +1 on your comment ike, something that needs to be considered. Recovery is possible if all the rules are followed

 

[G_Sanab922]

Model simulations on the long-term dispersal of 137Cs released into the Pacific Ocean off Fukushima - IOPscience

Reef damage done by reef hobby VS. Damage done to reef by Government and their corporations
Let's compare apples to apples

I agree with your statements, but what can we do. These a million dollar companies that have a lot of power to persuade. We are seeing this in bimini. a resort is being made there and it's destroyed many corals and fish populations. I don't even go fishing there any more. but the bimini economy approves it because they see the $$$$ and there's nothing we can really do. Just because they need the $$ doesn't justify it but it's just the selfishness within our society that makes this happen.