Trade in corals.

[Don McAllister]

>
> Does anyone on the coral list *know* what rules, laws, or regulations
> apply to importation of coral (including soft corals) into the United
> States, whether for personal or commercial use?  If the rules could be
> expressed in a few hundred words (a few dozen would be better), I am
> sure the List would be interested. Dive safe, John*

Dear John and List,
The Convention on InternationalTrade in Endangered Species (CITES) regulates
corals as well as other species, and the US has ratified this convention
even if it has not got around to doing so for the Biodiversity Convention.

You can find out about CITES at:
http://www.wcmc.org.uk/CITES/eng/index.shtml

The web site gives the wording of the Convention.  If you press buttons from
Protected Species, then Appendices I, II, II and then Fauna and Flora, you
will be able to see what species or larger groups are listed.

Coral groups as follows are listed: Coenothecalia, Tubporidae, Antipatharia,
Scleractinia, Milleporidae, Stylasteridae.  They chose to include large
groups instead of listing hundreds of species for the reason you already
mentioned - how could a customs officer identify them?  But that means
species not endangered are also lumped in with others that are.
Antipatharia includes the black corals used for jewellery, the Scleractinia
includes the reef-building as well as non-reef building corals.

If you push the right buttons you can identify the national authorities -->
U --> United States of America which, in part, gives the info cut and pasted
below.

don
Don McAllister

Management Authority/Autoridad Administrativa/Organe de gestion

The Secretary of the Interior

Correspondence should be addressed to/La correspondencia deberá ser enviada
a/
La correspondance devrait être adressée à:

1. US Fish and Wildlife Service
Office of Management Authority
4401 N. Fairfax Drive
Room 700
ARLINGTON, VA 22203

Tel:
  Chief and Operations Branch: (1703) 3582093; 3582095
  Branch of Permits: (1800 toll-free within the United States; otherwise
1703) 3582104
Fax:
  Office of Chief, OMA: (1703) 3582280
  Branch of CITES Operations: (1703) 3582298
  Branch of Permits: (1703) 3582281
Email:
  r9oma_cites at fws.gov (general/général)
  Kenneth_Stansell at fws.gov
  Maggie_Tieger at fws.gov

Management Authority to be contacted when live specimens are seized/Si se
confiscan especimenes vivos, diríjase a la Autoridad
Administrativa/Organe de gestion à contacter en cas de saisie de spécimens
vivants

See 1 above/ Veáse 1 supra/Voir 1 ci-dessus:

  For live animals/Para los animales vivos/Pour les animaux vivants

Room 500

Tel:(1703) 3581949
Fax:(1703) 3583371
Email:sheila_einsweiler at fws.gov