[Coral-List] Impact of listing 66 coral species on coral research
Steve Mussman
sealab at earthlink.net
Wed Dec 12 10:09:24 EST 2012
Dear Gene,
I respectfully urge you to:
â¢Reflect upon Dougâs vindication of the ESA.
â¢Consider that NOAA may not be the personification of the devil.
â¢Imagine that the fiscal cliff will be averted.
â¢Recognize that your anonymous sources are curmudgeons.
Please have a Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays and a Healthy New Year!
Steve
-----Original Message-----
>From: Eugene Shinn
>Sent: Dec 11, 2012 3:16 PM
>To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa..gov
>Subject: [Coral-List] Impact of listing 66 coral species on coral research
>
>Well I am still waiting for someone on the Coral-List to spell out
>how listing these coral species will save them. However, I did
>receive lots of interesting comments from coral researchers off-line
>and decided to share them without revealing their names. Here are a
>few:
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>Right Gene, not sure how listing these species will affect these
>corals when the group advocating for these listings states that
>climate change is the biggest reason for them being threatened. Also
>claiming the aquarium trade is a problem is a bit of a red herring
>since only a handful of the species (<5?) are traded in any
>significant way plus much of the Acropora coming from Indonesia,
>Vanuatu and Fiji is aquacultured.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>I can't wait until I retire so I can carry on saying the things that
>need to be said to these folks.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>Eugene;
> WELL SAID!
> There are many instances that can be cited where the
>legislated protection of a species has indeed positively impacted the
>survival or resurgence of that species. But in every instance (of
>which I am aware) the legislative action was necessary to either halt
>harvest or implement a physical action to save the species. I wish
>this were true of these 66 coral species, but I fear it is not. Hope
>I'm wrong.
> What the listing will definitely achieve however, will be a
>morass of red tape and effective blockage of ALL coastal projects in
>areas where one or more of these corals are thought to perhaps exist.
>The unintended consequences of the listing are likely to be
>widespread, expensive, and will ultimately result in the development
>of adverse public opinion.
> Like I said, I hope I'm wrong.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>Hi Gene
>
>Plus, if these 66 corals are threatened, why aren't all corals being
listed?
>
>Plus, population data are apparently not relevant. They don't care
>how many are out there. We sent them population estimates for the six
>species in the Keys, and the numbers are huge for most. And the ones
>that have fewer numbers have always been rare. So, the population
>biology of rare species does not matter.
>
>Group therapy is a good description of what they are doing. I would
>add that they are also self-congratulatory to the point of delusion.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
>Don't look at me. I went to one of the meetings and vehemently
>opposed this "new" listing. No recovery plan put forward for Acropora
>corals, yet. Not good.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>Inmates are running the asylum.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> From an ex-Steinhart aquarist (albeit volunteer). Other impacts from
>this new ESA designation that you may not anticipate:
> You could now be required to do an ESA impact assessment to
>launch a boat with bottom paint into tropical waters
> Require another special license to take or culture any coral
>on the ESA list. This permit will be overseen by an idiot in an air
>conditioned office in the EPA DC office who has never left the
>beltway and won't be able to look at your permit until next month
>because of required training courses his office must attend.
> Require special permits to maintain (don't even consider
>rebuilding or expanding) any shoreline infrastructure in the tropics
> Require all marine labs in the tropics (okay - probably all
>residences too) to construct individual WWTPs to treat all sewage to
>drinking level standards (there goes the research budget)
> Given the present definition of "Take" will you be allowed to
>swim over a reef and block the sunshine?
> Require toilet facilities on ALL boats carrying divers - Yup,
>even that 8-foot Avon!
> What kind of a permit do you think it will require to allow
>cultured (read: potentially contaminated) Diadema to be intentionally
>placed near a bed of ESA corals? Humm...
>
>The list could go on and on, but you get the idea. Once these
>regulations are established it will unleash the (deleted) who will
>come up with hundreds of new rules all well intentioned, and all with
>additional unanticipated affects.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>I have read your Op Ed with great interest and have concluded that
>you know too much about these matters that are of gravest importance
>to those who want to keep their job.
>
>As we plunge off the fiscal cliff (yes, I believe we will) remember
>your natural history. All of those lemmings didn't die, otherwise the
>species would now be extinct. Same applies to corals, a point you
>have made very clearly.
>
>I would have added my own list of unintended consequences but right
>now I am worried about Dec 21 which seems just a valid as a lot I
>have been reading. I suppose that once listed we could use the
>approach Fish and Wildlife is advocating for saving the spotted owl.
>That approach would stop those pesky parrotfish from taking lethal
>bites out of Montastrea sp. Gene
>
>--
>
>
>No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
>------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
>E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
>University of South Florida
>College of Marine Science Room 221A
>140 Seventh Avenue South
>St. Petersburg, FL 33701
>
>Tel 727 553-1158----------------------------------
>-----------------------------------
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