Coral Harvesting -Fiji - Cebu

[Tim Tessier]

Hi All,

I would like to add one point to what Bob said.

There is a company that is "raping" the reefs of Cebu for the curio trade.
I have visited this company to purchase beach sand and was shown the
"facility".  I noticed several large(2.5') heads of tabletop acropora as
well as 20+ shelves full of different corals. I have also seen 8" dia.
heads of seriatopora histrix.  In the back of this facility are large tubs
where they bleach the corals.  This company is regularly importing several
20ft ship containers of coral per month. I find it sickening that they can
seemingly do this legally. They are NOT using a CITES permit, which they
could never get, but a MINING permit. They have convinced the Canadian
Wildlife Enforcement that the corals are mined.  Could other companies be
doing the same thing and thus skewing the amount of corals that are
actually being exported?

Sincerely,

Tim Tessier