Commercial production of reef corals

[David Zakai]

Dear All,
My name is David Zakai and I work for Israel Nature & Parks Protection
Authority. I need your kind advises concerning the issue of commercial
production of live reef corals for saltwater aquariums industry:

1. I’m familiar with the demand of corals for saltwater aquariums, but
is growth of corals on aquacultur bases is solving the problem of
harvesting from nature? Is it really can be a substitute for a very
low-price corals from South East Asia, available on the "world markets"
today (as its legal by CITES)?

2. The northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba (Northern Red Sea) is the most
northern distribution for reef corals. Together with that, the
geomorphologic structure of partly separated water body, created, during
evolutionary time, a unique populations of fauna, and high rates of
endemic species, comparing with other tropical coral reef around the
world. Is it will be wise to allow growth of corals on aquacultur
facilities in land, of local species as well as exotic ones to import,
and local markets? And by that, maybe causing contamination of the
unique local and imported ecosystems with exotic corals (assuming that
coral or coral larvae will get in to the near by reefs at country of
arrival)?

3. If the answer to question 2, is to allow such growth of corals, which
species will be preferable?

Any other advice will be most appreciated.

Regards,

David Zakai
Red Sea Marine Biologist
Israel Nature & Parks Authority
P.O.Box 667, Eilat, Israel
AND
The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science
of Eilat, P.O.Box 469, Eilat, Israel

Tel +972-7-637-3988
Fax +972-7-637-5047
Lab: +972-7-636-0166
Mobile + 972-3-776-2308