[Coral-List] back to corals...

[James Cervino PhD.]

Dear Lee,

Many people are in denial as to the clear-cutting that is going within the coral
trade. Its not worth your effort to answer this question below as all you need
to do is go into any aquarium trade store in any of these countries and see the
bags of corals getting ready for the coffee tables, & living rooms across the
USA.  On a weekly basis I visit coral aquarium stores and ask which bags are
from farmed traders, and the answer we get are "people like the exotic natural
stuff", Mr. Delbeek and I have two very different views on corals being taken
out of the natural reef gene pool as he will not come out publicly and ask for
a ban on corals being collected off the reef for the hobby trade, outside of
scientific use, to be sold on the market.

Farming of corals for the trade is the only way to go.  I say this based on the
fact that coral reefs are are being hit hard by the immediate threats of
global-warming induced heat stroke & disease not to mention the long terms
effects of ocean acidification.

James





Hi Lee, please state your source of data to substantiate the claim of
"millions of corals" are being removed/destroyed and please place this into
the context of the total number of corals within divable depths that could be
considered as supply for said live coral trade and the rate of recruitment of
said corals and balance this also with the total surface area of coral reefs
that are not currently targeted by the coral trade

Cheers!

J. Charles Delbeek, M.Sc.


*************************************
Dr. James M. Cervino
Pace University &
Visiting Scientist
Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.
Department of Marine Chemistry
Woods Hole MA.
NYC Address: 9-22 119st
College Point NY NY 11356
Cell: 917-620*5287
************************************


Quoting RainbowWarriorsInternational <southern_caribbean at yahoo.com>:

* Dear Lee,
*
* A very valid point indeed. Can anyone tell me which official points of view
* exist from large NGOs like the ICRAN, WWF, Conservation International, IUCN,
* Nature Conservancy on the trade in marine species for use in aquariums, be it
* large, or small, and covering the entire spectrum of species, i.e. corals,
* fish, anemones, sponges, cetaceans, sharks, cephalopods etc.?
*
* To my knowledge too much focus has been on the larger creatures with a high
* cuddle factor like cetaceans, sharks, rays and skated and pinnipeds.
*
* The runaway success of the animated motion picture Finding Nemo must have
* touched some nerves worldwide, but somehow this never translated into a
* useful discussion on the issue.
*
* I assume that after the numerous congresses, conferences and global meetings
* on coral reefs and related ecosystems, and the recent IUCN event in
* Barcelona, in which corals received attention, we should refocus on this
* issue.
*
* Another point never duly discussed is the extent and geographical incidence
* of this (illegal) trade.
*
* We seem to know a lot more about tigers, rhinos, elephants, bears and exotic
* birds and animals than the trade in (endangered) marine species.
*
* Who is keeping the numbers on all species?
*
* Lee Goldman <coralfarmguam at yahoo.com> wrote: Hi List,
*
* .....and if gearing the discussion back towards corals as an appropriate
* topic for discussion; I am still trying to find the connection between the
* aquarium trade (as a whole with emphasis on the private home-hobbyists) and
* reef conservation (as originally stated from Les Kaufman's post) since
* millions of corals are taken OFF of the reef for the largely private
* enjoyment of individuals. Is this how reefs should be appreciated? Is it
* catch-22 in that those that appreciate the reefs, do so because they are able
* to collect from them? Maybe this is priming for when this may be the ONLY way
* to see corals in our world?
*
* And for those who would argue that millions of corals aren't taken off of the
* reefs annually (referencing CITES as your best source), please credit the
* number of corals taken illegally each year and, in pursuit of fish for the
* same industry, the number of corals killed each year as incidentals.
*
* Regards,
*
* Lee Goldman
* LJL Expeditions
* B6, L10 Gumamela St
* Garden City 3
* Paranaque, Philippines
* H: +63 2 825 5057
* M: +63 905 426 6043
* email: LJL Expeditions
* www.asiakayaktours.com
*
*
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