From reefkeeper at earthlink.net Tue Feb 1 11:20:26 2000 From: reefkeeper at earthlink.net (Alexander Stone) Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2000 16:20:26 +0000 Subject: Join20+GroupsAsking US CoralReefTaskForceForOversightProtection Message-ID: <389707CA.1902@earthlink.net> ********************************** Join the 20 Groups Listed Below Requesting Oversight Protection for Coral Reefs as Mandated by President Clinton PLEASE REPLY BY FEBRUARY 15TH! *********************************** Dear Coral Reef Supporter: Time is getting short for your organization to join Reef Check, ReefKeeper International, the Global Coral Reef Alliance, and many more groups in a joint letter to the US Coral Reef Task Force requesting that it take action at its March meeting to exercise its oversight mandate to keep federal agencies from damaging coral reefs. Your input NOW has the power to do the following: ? stop the U.S. Military bombing of coral reefs; ? prevent Army Corps of Engineers dredging from killing coral reefs; ? stop the National Marine Fisheries Service from allowing the use of fishing gears that destroy acres of coral reefs; ? eliminate Department of Transportation coastal road construction that smothers reefs; ? stop the EPA from allowing high nutrient effluent to kill coral reefs; ? and more. You can help make this happen by adding your group to the dozens of other organizations asking the President's US Coral Reef Task Force to ensure that any actions that US federal agencies authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of coral reef ecosystems. We need you to sign your group onto the enclosed endorsement letter to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure that all Federal agencies protect coral reefs. Read on to review the endorsement letter, and to see and join the list of current endorsing groups... or scroll down to the next *****starred**** section to study the letter's background rationale. **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER THAT FOLLOWS BELOW**** ******************* ENDORSEMENT LETTER ******************* ORGANIZATIONS TO ENSURE ENFORCED FEDERAL CORAL REEF PROTECTION **Admiralty Divers**American Littoral Society**Aquatica Underwater Adventurers**Asian Aquatic Adventurers**Asociacion Oceanica de Panama**Coastal Research & Education**Comite ProFondo Desecheo**Dive Paradise Scuba Club**Dive Training Magazine**Global Coral Reef Alliance**Isomer Laboratory Students Association**Kissimmee Pro Divers**Mobjack Baykeeper Program**Pro Scuba Association**Reef Check**ReefKeeper International**Save Our Seas**Star Thrower Foundation**University of Rhode Island Scuba Club**Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service** Hon. Bruce Babbitt, USCRTF Co-Chair Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Hon. Robert Mallet. USCRTF Co-Chair Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dept. of Commerce - Rm 5128 14th and Constitution Ave. NW Washington, DC 20230 re: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Oversight Dear Secretary Babbitt and Deputy Secretary Mallet: We, the (number) undersigned conservation, science and diving organizations representing over (number) individuals, respectfully request that the final action plan developed by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) fulfill the USCRTF's mandate to protect U.S. coral reefs from damaging federal agency actions by: a) clearly specifying the USCRTF's role as an enforcer of Executive Order 13089, and b) including a staffed oversight process for the USCRTF to evaluate pending agency actions and prohibit those actions which would degrade coral reef ecosystems. ECECUTIVE ORDER 13089 Executive Order 13089, signed by President Clinton on June 11, 1998, established the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and its obligations to "oversee implementation of the policy and Federal agency responsibilities set forth in this order" (Section 4); [and] "develop, recommend, and seek or secure implementation of measures necessary to reduce and mitigate coral reef ecosystem degradation and to restore damaged coral reefs" (Section 5). Section 2 of the Executive Order states: "(a) All Federal agencies whose actions may affects U.S. coral reef ecosystems shall ... (b) utilize their programs and authorities to protect and enhance the conditions of such ecosystems; and (c) to the extent permitted by law, ensure that any actions they authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of such ecosystems." These two sections clearly outline the goals of the Executive Order as well as the responsibility of the Task Force to oversee the implementation of the Executive Order, including Section 2's requirement for non-degradation of coral reef ecosystems by any Federal agency actions. OVERSIGHT PROCESS In order to fulfill the obligations of the Executive Order, an oversight process must be developed to ensure that Sections 2, 4, and 5 are met. This process must include personnel with direct responsibility for this oversight. All Federal agencies should be required to designate personnel who are responsible for reviewing all agency actions for compliance with the Executive Order. In addition, the USCRTF, as the enforcer of the Executive Order, should have a staffed process for enforcing the Executive Order. This staffed process would include reviews of proposed Federal agency actions as well as a mechanism whereby the USCRTF could halt any proposed Federal agency actions that would violate the Executive Order. Only with an effective oversight process can we be assured that the intent and obligations set forth in Executive Order 13089 are met. We look forward to your support for and early response to our request. Respectfully submitted, (endorsing organizations will be listed alphabetically) **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER POSTED ABOVE**** ******************** BACKGROUND RATIONALE ******************** EXECUTIVE ORDER 13089 FOR THE PROTECTION OF CORAL REEFS Executive Order 13089 for Coral Reef Protection was signed by President Clinton on June 11, 1998. Section 2 of the Executive Order states: "(a) All Federal agencies whose actions may affect U.S. coral reef ecosystems shall ... (b) utilize their programs and authorities to protect and enhance the conditions of such ecosystems; and (c) to the extent permitted by law, ensure that any actions they authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of such ecosystems." President Clinton clearly mandated that the actions of all Federal agencies, including those actions for which the agencies issue permits, must do no harm to coral reef ecosystems. This mandate applies to a wide variety of activities such as those listed above. This Executive Order confers landmark federal protection to coral reefs. But this protection can only be realized with adequate oversight by the US Coral Reef Task Force. THE CORAL REEF TASK FORCE The Executive Order also established the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and its obligations to: "oversee implementation of the policy and Federal agency responsibilities set forth in this order" (Section 4); "develop, recommend, and seek or secure implementation of measures necessary to reduce and mitigate coral reef ecosystem degradation and to restore damaged coral reefs" (Section 5). It is clearly the responsibility and obligation of the USCRTF to ensure that the Executive Order is being met. As such, the USCRTF must act as an enforcer of the Executive Order. WHY ACT NOW? The USCRTF has prepared a draft action plan to implement the Executive Order. However, the draft action plan places the USCRTF in the role of an observer and advisor, rather than an enforcer. The USCRTF will meet again in early March to adopt a final action plan. NOW is the time to urge the USCRTF to take its responsibilities seriously and establish an oversight process whereby all actions of all Federal agencies that may impact coral reefs are reviewed and any actions that degrade coral reefs are clearly prohibited because they violate the Executive Order. HOW YOU CAN HELP If you represent a group or a dive center, please take a few short minutes to read the enclosed Endorsement Letter. Then phone, e-mail or fax us with your okay to add your group or dive center's name to the list of organizations signing the letter which requests enforcement of Executive Order 13089. We will combine it with dozens more for presentation at the USCRTF meeting in March. Thank you in advance for your help, ALEXANDER STONE President ReefKeeper International **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER POSTED ABOVE**** ************************************* Join the 20 Groups Listed Above Seeking Protection from Federal Agency Damage for Coral Reefs as Mandated by President Clinton PLEASE REPLY BY FEBRUARY 15TH! ************************************* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From corals at CARIBE.NET Tue Feb 1 17:04:59 2000 From: corals at CARIBE.NET (CORALations) Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 18:04:59 -0400 Subject: Bombing to Continue on Vieques Message-ID: <008001bf6d00$7cf63100$9cc85bd1@default> The people of Vieques get to vote: live vs. inert bombing. 90 million dollars has also been thrown into the equation. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000201/wl/puerto_rico_us_navy_7.html http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/washpol/puerto-vieques.html http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/2000-02/01/133l-020100-idx.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000201/42b60a13/attachment.html From delbeek at hawaii.edu Tue Feb 1 20:38:03 2000 From: delbeek at hawaii.edu (J. Charles Delbeek) Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 15:38:03 -1000 Subject: Join20+GroupsAsking US CoralReefTaskForceForOversightProtection In-Reply-To: <389707CA.1902@earthlink.net> Message-ID: * and more ... Could you elaborate on the above please?? What else is included under this heading? Charles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From bkojis at vitelcom.net Tue Feb 1 23:21:53 2000 From: bkojis at vitelcom.net (Barbara Kojis, Ph.D.) Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2000 00:21:53 -0400 Subject: Chief of Fisheries required in Virgin Islands Message-ID: <000b01bf6d35$0d083840$a524503f@default> Greetings: The Division of Fish and Wildlife is looking for a Chief of Fish and Wildlife Programs - Fisheries. Information about the position is given below. If you are interested in the position, please contact me either by e-mail or phone. NOTICE OF VACANCY: The Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife needs to fill the position of Chief of Fisheries as soon as possible. The job description and required qualifications are listed below. The position is located in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands but it is a territory-wide position with responsibilities for fisheries programs and staff in St. Croix District as well as the St. Thomas/St. John District. Contact Dr. Barbara Kojis, Director to obtain an application form. E-mail: bkojis at vitelcom.net Telephone number: (340) 775-6762 Chief, Bureau of Fisheries Starting Salary Range and Union ? MEBA (Union) $40,199 ? $44,182 This is a supervisory position involving professional, administrative, and scientific responsibilities in directing and exercising control over programs, projects and operations in relation to recreational and commercial fisheries conservation and management. This person determines staff and budget needs, applies for and/or locates sources of funding, initiates whatever actions and proposals are necessary to carry out programs, and supervises and trains staff of the Bureau of Fisheries. She/he advises the Commissioner through the Director of the requirements for aquatic resource management. A thorough knowledge of tropical ecosystems (knowledge of Caribbean/Virgin Islands ecosystems preferred) and the principles of natural resource management, particularly fisheries management, is required, along with the ability to produce scientific proposals and reports of a high standard. This person must have the ability to understand the laws and rules and regulations applicable to natural resource management on the federal and local level and be able to explain the scientific rationale behind their formulation. The candidate for this position must be a certified scuba diver and know how to operate small boats (12? to 32?) with outboard and diesel engines in offshore marine environments. Minimum Qualifications: A Ph.D. degree in Fisheries Biology, Fisheries Management, or closely related field and three (3) years working experience in fisheries programs: or A Masters degree in Biology, Environmental Sciences with extensive biological course work, or closely related field and six (6) years working experience working in a fisheries related position, three (3) of which may have been at the Fisheries Biologist III level or its equivalent. Dr. Barbara Kojis Director/Divsion of Fish and Wildlife -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000202/2968478e/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Barbara Kojis, Ph.D..vcf Type: text/x-vcard Size: 491 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000202/2968478e/attachment.vcf From GParsons at sheddaquarium.org Wed Feb 2 12:32:25 2000 From: GParsons at sheddaquarium.org (Parsons, George) Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 11:32:25 -0600 Subject: Age Estimation Message-ID: Hello all, I am curious if any one is familiar with any recent work on age determination /maturation of post larval coral reef fishes. I am specifically looking for information on Acanthuridae or Pomacanthidae but any other may be helpful. Thank You George Parsons Senior Aquarist John G. Shedd Aquarium ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov Wed Feb 2 14:13:30 2000 From: Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov (Jim Hendee) Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 19:13:30 GMT Subject: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting March 2 (fwd) Message-ID: <200002021913.TAA58476@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> This is just a reminder of the upcoming Coral Reef Task Force meeting on March 2, 2000. The public is very much invited to attend and provide feedback and suggestions, which would probably be very helpful in upcoming legislative decisions on coral reef protection over the next couple of years. Cheers, Jim Hendee Coral Health and Monitoring Program NOAA/AOML Miami, FL ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 15:17:18 -0500 From: Roger B Griffis Reply-To: Roger B Griffis To: Coral list Subject: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting March 2 Preliminary Announcement: The next meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will be held Thursday, March 2, 2000 at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. The meeting is open to the public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend. The meeting will include presentation and discussion of the proposed U.S. Coral Reef Action Plan, and current activities to implement portions of the plan. The meeting will include opportunity for public comment on the Action Plan and other topics. There is limited space available for exhibits or displays. Additional information on the March 2 Task Force meeting will be posted the week of Feb 1. General information on the Task Force, copies of the draft Coral Reef Action Plan and other Task Force documents are available on the web site CORALREEF.GOV. Requests for exhibit space or other information on the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force may be sent to roger.b.griffis at hdq.noaa.gov Thank you. Roger B. Griffis National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce Molly Ross U.S. Department of the Interior ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From kswatland at NPCA.ORG Wed Feb 2 16:25:08 2000 From: kswatland at NPCA.ORG (Kim Swatland) Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2000 16:25:08 -0500 Subject: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting March 2 (fwd) (e-mail address change) Message-ID: Please know that I am no longer with NPCA, but have moved to the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC). My new e-mail address is kanaston at psinet.com. Office phone number (305) 295-3370, fax (305-295-3371 Thank you for noting the change. From reef at bellsouth.net Wed Feb 2 22:04:43 2000 From: reef at bellsouth.net (Reef Relief) Date: 3 Feb 2000 03:04:43 -0000 Subject: Bombing to Continue on Vieques Message-ID: <949547083.23655.qmail@ech> Reef Relief - http://www.reefrelief.org Subject: Bombing to Continue on Vieques Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 18:04:59 -0400 From: "CORALations" To: "Coral-List" The people of Vieques get to vote: live vs. inert bombing. 90 million dollars has also been thrown into the equation. Read all about it by folllowing these links: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000201/wl/puerto_rico_us_navy_7.html http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/washpol/puerto-vieques.html http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/2000-02/01/133l-020100-idx.html ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to reef_relief-unsubscribe at listbot.com ______________________________________________________________________ 466MHZ PC for ONLY $449! Get your PowerSpecPC 4610 with Intel Celeron 466MHz, 4GB-HD, 40XMaxCD-ROM, 56KModem, All for $449! Add 17 in. Monitor & Printer for only $209 (after MIR). MEI-Micro Center, America's Source for Computer Products since 1986! For details http://www.listbot.com/links/mei2 or call 1-888-480-4895 (Please Use ValueCode: PSEM005). From Roger.B.Griffis at noaa.gov Thu Feb 3 15:58:35 2000 From: Roger.B.Griffis at noaa.gov (Roger B Griffis) Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 15:58:35 -0500 Subject: March 2 U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Mting Message-ID: <3899EBFA.7C616802@hdq.noaa.gov> ** Please distribute: (apologies for cross postings)** Full Announcement and Registration Materials for the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting, March 2, 2000, Washington, D.C. --------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Department of Commerce Washington, D.C. 20240 Washington, D.C. 20230 February 2, 2000 Dear Colleague: On behalf of the Co-Chairs of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Under Secretary of Commerce D. James Baker, we invite you to the fourth meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force to be held on Thursday, March 2, 2000, at the Department of Commerce auditorium, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. This will be a special one day meeting of the Task Force to review and discuss the proposed National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs. The National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs is a detailed, long-term strategy for restoring, protecting, and sustainably using coral reef ecosystems. As many of you know, the Task Force endorsed the draft National Action Plan at its last meeting for the purpose of seeking comment. A steering group has reviewed the public and agency comments received, and is now revising the document in preparation for its consideration and possible adoption at the upcoming Task Force meeting. A draft agenda for the March 2 meeting is enclosed. Copies of the draft National Action Plan, the Executive Order No. 13089 on ?Coral Reef Protection,? and other key documents related to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force are available at http://coralreef.gov. We hope to post a copy of the revised National Action Plan on that website at least a week before the meeting. We have reserved a block of rooms at the Hotel Washington, 515 15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C., telephone number 202/638-5900. This hotel is one block from the meeting location, and provides easy access by Metro or taxi to airports and other destinations. We have secured a discount rate of $118/night, but you must place your reservation for a ?Coral Task Force? room by February 16, 2000. If you plan to attend the fourth meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, please fill out the enclosed registration form and fax it to Patricia Kennedy at 202/208-4684 by February 16. Pat can also help you with questions about logistic or administrative matters (202/208-5378; Patricia_Kennedy at ios.doi.gov). There will be limited space available for exhibits or displays; if interested, please contact Pete Allen (301/413-0100; Pete.Allen at noaa.gov). If you have questions about other aspects of the meeting or about the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, please contact Roger Griffis (202/482-5034; Roger.B.Griffis at hdq.noaa.gov) or Molly Ross (202/208-6212; Molly_Ross at ios.doi.gov). Sincerely, /signed/ Donald J. Barry /signed/ Sally Yozell Donald J. Barry Sally J. Yozell Assistant Secretary for Fish and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans Wildlife and Parks and Atmosphere Department of the Interior Department of Commerce Enclosures: Draft Agenda and Registration Form ____________ DRAFT Agenda U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting March 2, 2000 U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C. Thursday, March 2 8:00 - 8:30 am Registration 8:30 - 9:00 am Introductions and Welcoming Remarks (Cochairs) 9:00 - 9:15 am Action Items from last meeting: Status Report (Steering Committee) 9:15 - 10:15 am Presentation and discussion: Coral Reef Action Plan (Task Force) 10:15 - 10:30 am Break 10:30 B 12:00 am FY2000 and FY2001 Activities: General overview and discussion, with special presentations (e.g., Tortugas 2000) TBA (Task Force) 12:00 - 1:15 pm Lunch Break and Poster Session (Main Hall) 1:15 - 2:30 pm Public comment on the Coral Reef Action Plan and FY00, FY01 Activities 2:30 - 3:15 pm Task Force Action: Coral Reef Action Plan 3:15 - 3:30 pm Break 3.30 - 4:30 pm Task Force Action: other issues 4:30 - 4:45 pm Summary Remarks (Cochairs) 4:45 - 5:15 pm Poster Session (Main Hall) 5:30 - 7:30 pm Reception, Willard Hotel (hosts TBA) __________________________________ ATTENDEE REGISTRATION FORM U.S. CORAL REEF TASK FORCE MEETING MARCH 2, 2000 U.S. Department of Commerce B Main Auditorium 14th and Constitution Ave. NW Washington, D.C. PLEASE FAX COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORMS TO PATRICIA KENNEDY AT 202/208-4684 BY FEBRUARY 16* ===================================================================== Name: ===================================================================== Name Tag Preference: ===================================================================== Title: ===================================================================== Organization: ===================================================================== Address: ===================================================================== City/State/Zip: ===================================================================== Telephone Number: ===================================================================== Fax Number: ===================================================================== Email Address: ===================================================================== *If you do not have access to a fax machine, you can mail your registration to Patricia Kennedy, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, N.W., Mail Stop 3156MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240. Pat?s telephone number is 202/208-5378. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: invitation.wpd Type: application/wordperfect5.1 Size: 14080 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000203/43774b1d/attachment.bin -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: regformandagenda.wpd Type: application/wordperfect5.1 Size: 8854 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000203/43774b1d/attachment-0001.bin -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Roger.B.Griffis.vcf Type: text/x-vcard Size: 424 bytes Desc: Card for Roger B Griffis Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000203/43774b1d/attachment.vcf From psa at mail.bishopmuseum.org Thu Feb 3 21:24:29 2000 From: psa at mail.bishopmuseum.org (L.G. Eldredge) Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2000 02:24:29 GMT Subject: Nonindigenous Species Message-ID: <200002040224.CAA69347@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> A mini-symposium "Coral Reef Nonindigenous and Invasive Species" is planned for the 9th International Coral Reef Symposium to be held in Bali, October 23-27, 2000. As convener, I should like to invite researchers who have investigated nonindigenous or invasive reef biota to get in touch with me. Individual inquires have not been successful, and I know there must be some people out there who have contributed, perhaps even only locally. I am particularly interested in contacting people working in the Indian Ocean or the Caribbean area. My personal definition of "coral reef" is rather broad, so even warm water areas are included. I look forward to hearing from you. Lucius G. Eldredge Bishop Museum/Pacific Science Association 1525 Bernice Streeet Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 TEL (808) 848-4139 FAX (808) 847-8252 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From mcall at superaje.com Fri Feb 4 14:45:35 2000 From: mcall at superaje.com (Don McAllister) Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2000 19:45:35 GMT Subject: Recommendation of global coral bleaching Message-ID: <200002041945.TAA75980@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> When I left the SBSTTA (advisory group for the Biodiversity Convention Conference of Parties) was finalizing a recomendation to the Convention members that indicated the evidence for climate warming and higher sea surface temperatures were strongly linked to widespread coral bleaching and mortality. While initial draft of the doucment did recommend more research, Sechelles and other small island developing countries back by a few developed ones, were stating that the evidence was strong enough, that more studies were not needed and that action had to be taken. Probably the final version will include a recommendation that the secretariat of the convention communicate these concerns to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Most parties commented on the well-written and careful documentation of the coral bleaching paper provided by the secretariat. Coincidentally I see a newspaper article that Canadian pulp, paper and timber operations are expected to spews equivalent of 23.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 2010, 22% higher than permitted under Canada's (modest) commitment under the Kyoto agreement, and in another article that Paul Martin,Minister of Finance is considering only modest financial support for greenhouse mission cutbacks. Those concerned about lack of northern government (chief emitters) actions on reducing, may wish to communicate their concerns to their governments. don Don McAllister Ocean Voice International ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From jwest at iucnus.org Fri Feb 4 19:14:49 2000 From: jwest at iucnus.org (West Jordan) Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2000 19:14:49 -0500 Subject: Decision on coral bleaching at CBD SBSTTA Message-ID: <77AEF9DFA104D211A6D60060088FEB87256268@mainserver.iucnus.org> Greetings coral-listers, This week, a coalition of governments, agencies, and NGOs successfully used the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) process to generate new priority focus on, and greater impetus for immediate response measures to, the problem of coral bleaching, its links to climate change, and in particular its ecological and socio-economic impacts on affected countries. The Subsidiary Body on Science, Technology, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to the CBD, in its Fifth Meeting 31 January-4 February, reviewed the information and recommendations of an expert's paper on: coral bleaching, its affects on biodiversity, and consequent socio-economic impacts. A decision on coral bleaching was adopted in plenary Friday afternoon, reflecting only minor changes to the chair's text introduced on Thursday evening. The SBSTTA recommendations to the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD are: 1 -- to fully integrate coral bleaching into the marine and coastal programme of work under the Jakarta Mandate 2 -- to liaise and cooperate with GCRMN, ICRI, FCCC, Ramsar, GIWA in developing an action plan 3 -- that climate change is "a primary cause of coral bleaching" and warrants remedial action by the FCCC 4 -- to urge parties to identify and implement a number of responses to coral bleaching 5 -- to direct the World Bank and other funding bodies to mobilize resources for this effort The expert's paper on coral bleaching was the product of an Expert Consultation on Coral Bleaching that was convened by the Secretariat of the CBD on 11-13 October 1999 in Manila, Philippines. The workshop was sponsored by Sweden, France, IUCN (The World Conservation Union), ICLARM (International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management), and the U. S. Department of State. The conclusions of the workshop focused on 4 themes: information-gathering, capacity building, policy development and implementation, and financing. These conclusions were then presented to the SBSTTA-5 meeting in Montreal this week.? For full text of the document, go to: http://www.biodiv.org/sbstta5/docs.html An informational, luncheon side event on coral bleaching was hosted on the first day of the SBSTTA by IUCN, the National Wildlife Federation, and the U. S. Department of state. The purpose of this Consultation on Coral Bleaching was to review information on bleaching and to facilitate consideration of proposed actions for the Convention process.? NESDIS data on SSTs (sea surface temperatures) were presented by Al Strong of NOAA, followed by general discussion of the bleaching problem and its link to climate change. For an interview with the IUCN/NOAA/National Wildlife Federation Team, go to: http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/sbstta5/feb01.html Following adoption of the technical body's decision this week, the Parties to the Convention will meet in May at CBD COP-5 to review the conclusions and formally decide on next steps. For a story on the SBSTTA-5 debate by the Parties on the subject of coral bleaching, go to: http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/vol09/enb09142e.html *********************************************** Jordan M. West, Ph. D. Marine Science Advisor IUCN-US Office 1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW - Third Floor Washington, DC 20009 USA phone: +1 202 387-4826 fax: +1 202 387-4823 e-mail: jwest at iucnus.org http://www.iucn.org *********************************************** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From kenyon_b_mobley at gasou.edu Sat Feb 5 08:46:31 2000 From: kenyon_b_mobley at gasou.edu (Kenyon Mobley) Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 13:46:31 GMT Subject: Remote Sensing Data Message-ID: <200002051346.NAA62170@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Hello everyone, I am looking for unprocessed remote sensing data for a class project in GIS/Remote Sensing. The goal of the project is to identify living coral cover and sea grass communities in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. Unprocessed multispectral/hyperspectral remote sensing data would be ideal including CASI, Landsat TM and ETM+ images. I am particularly interested in data that includes band settings in the blue/near the UV portion of the EM spectrum (400-500nm). Because of the limited scope of the project, I do not have the moneys required to purchase expensive imagery but would like information on how to obtain quality digital images that would fit the goals of the project. Thank you in advance for your assistance, Kenyon Mobley Department of Biology Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA 30460-8042 http://www.bio.gasou.edu/bio-home/GRADS/kenyonwebpage/kmhome.html Office (912) 681-5963 Fax: (912) 681-0845 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From egilman at lava.net Sat Feb 5 08:47:48 2000 From: egilman at lava.net (E.L. Gilman) Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 13:47:48 GMT Subject: CARICOMP manual Message-ID: <200002051347.NAA81498@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Dear Coral-List: If you can recommend a standardized mangrove assessment method suitable for in-country application in less-developed countries, or know how I can get a copy of the manual cited below, please respond to egilman at lava.net CARICOMP. 1992. Manual of methods for mapping and monitoring of physical and biological parameters in the coastal zone of the Carribean. University of Florida: Carribean Coastal Marine Productivity Programme. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov Sat Feb 5 08:44:03 2000 From: Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov (Jim Hendee) Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 13:44:03 GMT Subject: Is SEAKEYS successful, necessary? Message-ID: <200002051344.NAA81102@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Dear Francisco, Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you on this. I think it is of benefit to the list to know the answer to this, as well. If you mean, do seven sites strung along the Florida Keys and Florida Bay actually continually send out meteorological and oceanographic data 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for eight years continuously, and provide good data, then Yes, this systems works (albeit with much attention to care and maintenance by the venerable Florida Institute of Oceanography field team of Chris Humphrey, Jeff Absten, Trent Moore, Karol Ferguson and Dave Forcucci over the years). If you mean does it actually provide *information* (as opposed to data), the answer is still Yes. In this sense, the SEAKEYS system is unlike any other marine environmental monitoring system in the world, because a) the data are actually screened using expert heuritics and deductions to determine whether data can reasonably be expected to represent good values are not, and are reported back to the FIO field team and to the knowledge engineer (that's me) in near real-time, and, b) the data are are transformed into information and knowledge for purposes of determining whether or not conditions are conducive to coral bleaching, or not. These tasks are accomplished with an artificial intelligence tool--expert systems--and will soon also be accomplished with another artificial intelligence tool, neural networks. The suite of tools used for this particular coral bleaching application is called the Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS), and is also being deployed in a modeling research mode for conditions conducive to coral bleaching at selected sites on the Great Barrier Reef, also in a continuous mode. To learn more about these *research* products, see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/sferpm/seakeys/es http://www.coral.noaa.gov/gbr/es for the Florida Keys and the GBR, respectively. (I want to underscore again that these are modeling research products still under development. Set aside for the moment discussions as to what *actually* is responsible for coral bleaching!) Other applications are being developed besides for coral bleaching, too. On a very provisional basis we are also investigating the use of the SEAKEYS data for conch and spiny lobster larval recruitement modeling. If you also want to ask, "Is SEAKEYS necessary?" then the answer--in light of today's more rapidly deteriorating marine environment, where timely decisions by marine park and sanctuary managers are very critical to ensuring the integrity of their respective marine ecosystems--is Yes again, at least in my opinion. This is not to say that the SEAKEYS system trivializes monitoring, measuring, and understanding the marine ecosystem. We all know how difficult it is to understand nature, but we have to start somewhere, and I personally believe that any attempt to model such a complex phenomenon is worthy of the time and effort. Also, we all know that we need long-term data to understand the reaction of coral reefs to anthropogenic and natural perturbations. Personally, I think the SEAKEYS system, brilliantlly conceived and implemented by Dr. John Ogden and his colleagues (see citation below), serves as a model for other nations and should be looked at very carefully and considered for implementation at their critical coral reef areas. If you'd like to know more about efforts in this direction, please ask (or others from coral-list can respond). I hope this helps answer your question. Cheers, Jim Hendee Ogden, J.C.; Porter, J.; Smith, N.; Szmant, A.; Jaap, W.; and Forcucci, D. 1994. A long-term interdisciplinary study of the Florida Keys seascape. Bulletin of Marine Science 54(3): 1059-1071. On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Francisco KELMO wrote: > Hi Folks, > I am afraid to ask this (I might be sounding arrongant and/or/even > pretentiuos), but: Are you sure that this system works? > How a delicated, complicated and little understood ecosystem can be > monitored in this way? > Many thanks for your comments, Frank. > > > > Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 21:28:41 GMT > > From: Sandra Vargo > > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov > > Cc: Deborah Haynes , > > ogden , > > milliken > > Subject: Publications using SEAKEYS monitoring station data > > Reply-to: Sandra Vargo > > > > > The SEAKEYS network is a series of 7 automated environmental monitoring > > stations located along the Florida Reef Tract and in Florida Bay. The > > data is transmitted by satellite and can be viewed on bulletin boards > > maintained by NOAA/AOML and Dept. of Marine Science/University of South > > Florida. The URLs are http://www.coral.noaa.gov/cman and > > http://comps.marine.usf.edu. This network is supported by grant funds. We > > need your help in compiling a list of users of the SEAKEYS data and any > > publications which may have resulted. Please e-mail or send by mail a > > list of your publications which may utilize this data to Deborah Haynes > > (dhaynes at marine.usf.edu), Fax 727/553-1109, and mailing address FIO, 830 > > First Street S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712. > > > > Thanks for your help. > > > > Cheers, > > Sandy Vargo > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > F.Kelmo > Coral Reef Ecology > Benthic Ecology Research Group > 613 Davy Building, University of Plymouth, > Drake Circus, Devon, PL4 8AA > United Kingdon. > Phone: +44 (0)1752 232951 (Lab) +44 (0)870 710 5741 (home) > Fax: +44 (0)1752 232970 > E-mail: fkelmo at plymouth.ac.uk > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Billy.Causey at noaa.gov Sat Feb 5 12:48:24 2000 From: Billy.Causey at noaa.gov (Billy Causey) Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2000 12:48:24 -0500 Subject: Is SEAKEYS successful, necessary? References: <200002051344.NAA81102@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Message-ID: <389C6264.5CFEB298@noaa.gov> Jim, I can only reinforce and support your comments on the success of the SEAKEYS project. As a coral reef manager I continually rely on the system for real-time data and for predictive conditions. The system has been particularly useful for predicting coral bleaching and correlating the events with Al Strong and Jim Hendee's more global assessments. Jim ... you were kind in your response. Had I invested as much of my time and energy into SEAKEYS as you and others have, I would have been a little less polite in my response. Billy Causey Jim Hendee wrote: > Dear Francisco, > > Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you on this. I think > it is of benefit to the list to know the answer to this, as well. > > If you mean, do seven sites strung along the Florida Keys and > Florida Bay actually continually send out meteorological and oceanographic > data 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for eight years continuously, and > provide good data, then Yes, this systems works (albeit with much > attention to care and maintenance by the venerable Florida Institute of > Oceanography field team of Chris Humphrey, Jeff Absten, Trent Moore, Karol > Ferguson and Dave Forcucci over the years). If you mean does it actually > provide *information* (as opposed to data), the answer is still Yes. In > this sense, the SEAKEYS system is unlike any other marine environmental > monitoring system in the world, because a) the data are actually screened > using expert heuritics and deductions to determine whether data can > reasonably be expected to represent good values are not, and are reported > back to the FIO field team and to the knowledge engineer (that's me) in > near real-time, and, b) the data are are transformed into information and > knowledge for purposes of determining whether or not conditions are > conducive to coral bleaching, or not. These tasks are accomplished with > an artificial intelligence tool--expert systems--and will soon also be > accomplished with another artificial intelligence tool, neural networks. > The suite of tools used for this particular coral bleaching application is > called the Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS), and is also being > deployed in a modeling research mode for conditions conducive to coral > bleaching at selected sites on the Great Barrier Reef, also in a > continuous mode. To learn more about these *research* products, see > > http://www.coral.noaa.gov/sferpm/seakeys/es > http://www.coral.noaa.gov/gbr/es > > for the Florida Keys and the GBR, respectively. (I want to underscore > again that these are modeling research products still under development. > Set aside for the moment discussions as to what *actually* is responsible > for coral bleaching!) Other applications are being developed besides for > coral bleaching, too. On a very provisional basis we are also > investigating the use of the SEAKEYS data for conch and spiny lobster > larval recruitement modeling. > > If you also want to ask, "Is SEAKEYS necessary?" then the > answer--in light of today's more rapidly deteriorating marine environment, > where timely decisions by marine park and sanctuary managers are very > critical to ensuring the integrity of their respective marine > ecosystems--is Yes again, at least in my opinion. > > This is not to say that the SEAKEYS system trivializes monitoring, > measuring, and understanding the marine ecosystem. We all know how > difficult it is to understand nature, but we have to start somewhere, and > I personally believe that any attempt to model such a complex phenomenon > is worthy of the time and effort. Also, we all know that we need > long-term data to understand the reaction of coral reefs to anthropogenic > and natural perturbations. > > Personally, I think the SEAKEYS system, brilliantlly conceived and > implemented by Dr. John Ogden and his colleagues (see citation below), > serves as a model for other nations and should be looked at very carefully > and considered for implementation at their critical coral reef areas. If > you'd like to know more about efforts in this direction, please ask (or > others from coral-list can respond). > > I hope this helps answer your question. > > Cheers, > Jim Hendee > > Ogden, J.C.; Porter, J.; Smith, N.; Szmant, A.; Jaap, W.; and Forcucci, D. > 1994. A long-term interdisciplinary study of the Florida Keys seascape. > Bulletin of Marine Science 54(3): 1059-1071. > > On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Francisco KELMO wrote: > > > Hi Folks, > > I am afraid to ask this (I might be sounding arrongant and/or/even > > pretentiuos), but: Are you sure that this system works? > > How a delicated, complicated and little understood ecosystem can be > > monitored in this way? > > Many thanks for your comments, Frank. > > > > > > > Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 21:28:41 GMT > > > From: Sandra Vargo > > > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov > > > Cc: Deborah Haynes , > > > ogden , > > > milliken > > > Subject: Publications using SEAKEYS monitoring station data > > > Reply-to: Sandra Vargo > > > > > > > > The SEAKEYS network is a series of 7 automated environmental monitoring > > > stations located along the Florida Reef Tract and in Florida Bay. The > > > data is transmitted by satellite and can be viewed on bulletin boards > > > maintained by NOAA/AOML and Dept. of Marine Science/University of South > > > Florida. The URLs are http://www.coral.noaa.gov/cman and > > > http://comps.marine.usf.edu. This network is supported by grant funds. We > > > need your help in compiling a list of users of the SEAKEYS data and any > > > publications which may have resulted. Please e-mail or send by mail a > > > list of your publications which may utilize this data to Deborah Haynes > > > (dhaynes at marine.usf.edu), Fax 727/553-1109, and mailing address FIO, 830 > > > First Street S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712. > > > > > > Thanks for your help. > > > > > > Cheers, > > > Sandy Vargo > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > F.Kelmo > > Coral Reef Ecology > > Benthic Ecology Research Group > > 613 Davy Building, University of Plymouth, > > Drake Circus, Devon, PL4 8AA > > United Kingdon. > > Phone: +44 (0)1752 232951 (Lab) +44 (0)870 710 5741 (home) > > Fax: +44 (0)1752 232970 > > E-mail: fkelmo at plymouth.ac.uk > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- Billy D. Causey, Superintendent Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary PO Box 500368 Marathon, FL 33050 Phone (305) 743.2437, Fax (305) 743.2357 http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/ From corals at CARIBE.NET Sat Feb 5 12:44:32 2000 From: corals at CARIBE.NET (CORALations) Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 13:44:32 -0400 Subject: Puerto Rico - Abuse of CWA Message-ID: <00ad01bf7000$ad780c60$27c95bd1@default> EXCELLENT RESULTS TO SIGN ON LETTER TO CAROL BROWNER REGARDING EPA ABUSE OF CLEAN WATER ACT IN PUERTO RICO Thank you to all orgs that signed on the letter to Carol Browner. (list below) There were 50 excellent organizational sign ons including Puerto Rico Conservation Organizations and Legislators, International Coral Reef Conservation Organizations, National Clean Water Organizations, National Surfing Orgs, The Tropical Audubon Society, Center for Marine Conservation, and a personal endorsement from Jean-Michel Cousteau. The letter will be sent out Monday and we expect more endorsements from local legislators at a later date. In addition to the orgs listed below we had a number of individual endorsement from people who work for Sea Grant, environmental microbiologists and experts from Universities (some department heads). Experts from environmental and engineering technologies laboratories world wide also endorsed, as did citizens of Puerto Rico concerned about their coastal clean water. [An interesting note is that in the first 5 minutes of electronic circulation, 4 organizations based in NY and NJ, also EPA Region 2, responded.] We sincerely appreciate your recognition and support on this issue. Mary Ann Lucking Project Coordinator CORALations and Sarah Peisch Community Advisor Centr? de Acci?n Ambiental ....in response to request for help from community groups: Comit? Valle del Toa and Frente Loice?os Unidos List of Sign Ons: Centro de Acci?n Ambiental CORALations Frente Loice?os Unidos Comit? Valle del Toa NJ Environmental Federation Rivers Alliance of Connecticut NY/NJ Baykeeper Ocean City Chapter of Surfrider Foundation Tualatin Riverkeepers Rivanna Conservation Society Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition Mississippi River Basin Alliance (MRBA) Campaign to Safeguard American Waters (C-SAW) Flushing Greens NFC GRACE American Wildlands Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge Sierra Club, Mackinac Chapter, West Michigan Group Comunidades Unidas Contra la Contaminacion Alianza Ambiental Puertorrique?as Ciudadanos del Karso Turtle Conservation Project, Sri Lanka Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, Inc. Global Coral Reef Alliance Pomeston Creek Watershed Association Missouri B.A.S.S. Federation Surfers Tired of Pollution (STOP) Wast Action Project La Liga Ecologica Puertorriquena de Noreste Proyectos Tortugas Marinas, PR Institute of Mairine and Coastal Sciences Tropical Audubon Society Coast Action Group Eastern Surfing Association, Inc. Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association Audubon Society of RI New Jersey Environmental Lobby St. Croix Environmental Association University of Puerto Rico - Coral Reef Research Group [CRRG] Atlantic States Legal Foundation Hon. Carlos Vizcarrondo Irizarry, Representante Puerto Rico Forest Guardians-Watershed Protection Program Reef Relief Reef Keeper International Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust [VCHT] Surfrider Foundation Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) Ocean Futures Society (one page endorsement/letter from Jean-Michel Cousteau) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 5, 2000 Carol Browner Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. Suite 3000 Ariel Rios Building, North Washington D.C. 20460 Re: 301(h) Waiver Application: failure to implement the Clean Water Act in Puerto Rico Dear Ms. Browner: The undersigned non-government organizations and concerned Puerto Rico Legislators request your attention regarding an urgent coastal clean water issue in Puerto Rico. Whereas this petition specifically addresses one primary waste water treatment plant waiver application, this serves as a vivid example of the extent of the abuse of the Clean Water Act in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We have expressed these concerns to both Jeanne Fox of Region 2, and Mr. Chuck Fox and have received no adequate response. EPA Region 2 is currently considering another Clean Water Act 301(h) waiver application for the Dorado Waste Water Treatment Plant, a regional primary sewage treatment plant yet to be built on the north coast of Puerto Rico. This 301(h) waiver application has been pending for 18 years, even though the statutory deadline for exemptions to secondary waste treatment was 1982. The enclosed chronology of the administrative record of this pending waiver application clearly demonstrates that Region 2 has abused its discretion by arbitrarily and capriciously granting countless extensions to the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) to submit a complete 301(h) application. EPA Region 2's inability to implement or enforce Clean Water Act standards for waste water treatment in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands was documented in the "Review of EPA's Processing of CWA Section 301(h) Waivers (Audit Report No. E1HWFO-O2- O140-O1OO482, September 18, 1990. Copy enclosed). With respect to the pending 301(h) applications, the Office of the Inspector General stated that Region 2 procrastinated in taking timely actions to render decisions or formally deny Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands waiver requests when (I) applications were either incomplete and requested information was not timely or completely provided, (ii) applicants refused to withdraw tentatively denied applications, (iii) tentative approval conditions were not met, and (iv) non-compliance with Administrative Order's effluent limits occurred. Region 2 only denied the Dorado WWTP "first-round" waiver application in 1997. The Region then established a deadline for a complete "second round" 301(h) application and required final permits and certifications be submitted no later than December 15, 1999. The affected community intervened in the local government's permitting process and successfully prevented the issuance of final permits to this proposed facility by this date. Nevertheless, EPA's Region 2 Regional Administrator has now dismissed the December 1999 deadline and has, in effect granted another extension for this 18-year pending application. This unjustifiable and arbitrary rejection of clearly defined deadlines illustrates EPA's failure to fulfill its statutory responsibility to implement the Clean Water Act in Puerto Rico. We feel that the repeated failure of Region 2 to follow through with established deadlines for the Dorado WWTP application and the other six pending 301(h) applications for plants built and operating in Puerto Rico has contributed to the degradation of valuable tropical marine resources and has posed a threat to public health. In direct violation to the CWA, environmental monitoring of the ocean outfalls of these 301(h) facilities was not required for nearly two decades. We ask that the pending 301(h) waiver application for the Dorado WWTP be denied immediately. This is urgent. EPA Region 2 should deny this application before the Puerto Rico government issues a final water quality certificate to avoid expensive and lengthy litigation over a 301(h) NPDES permit. To many of us, this decision regarding the use of primary waste water treatment was decided by the U.S. Congress 27 years ago, when the Clean Water Act was passed. Allowing a new primary plant to be built in the year 2000 was not what the 301(h) waivers were intended for. Primary sewage treatment with shallow ocean outfall does not constitute best available technology for our biologically diverse tropical coastal waters with rapidly declining coral reefs, and violates Executive Order 13089, which calls Federal Agencies to protect coral reefs. Your immediate attention is greatly appreciated. We have enclosed copies of documents from the administrative record and a summary of the abuse of the CWA in Puerto Rico. c: Hon. Bruce Babbitt Mr. Jeffrey Farrow Ms. Ellen Ethas Mr. Chuck Fox Ms. Jeanne Fox Mr. Carl Soderberg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From victor.gomelyuk at PWCNT.nt.gov.au Sun Feb 6 07:34:38 2000 From: victor.gomelyuk at PWCNT.nt.gov.au (Gomelyuk, Victor) Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2000 22:04:38 +0930 Subject: Bleaching or... Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, Can you have a look at these images and give me suggestions - what's that? Dr Victor Gomelyuk Marine Scientist Cobourg Marine Park PO Box 496 PALMERSTON NT 0831 AUSTRALIA phone 61 (08) 8979 0244 FAX 61 (08) 8979 0246 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From past at post.tau.ac.il Sun Feb 6 08:40:48 2000 From: past at post.tau.ac.il (zohar) Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2000 15:40:48 +0200 Subject: larval chemotaxis / host detection Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20000206154048.007bc510@post.tau.ac.il> Dear colleagues, I would be greatful for any information regarding experiments done on the subject of larval chemotaxis / host detection, either in a flume or in still-water (even if host-detection was not found, or the research wasn't published). Thank you very much! Zohar pasternak Institute for nature conservation research Tel-aviv university, Israel e-mail: past at post.tau.ac.il ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From U.Lindahl at kmf.gu.se Sun Feb 6 13:32:32 2000 From: U.Lindahl at kmf.gu.se (U.Lindahl at kmf.gu.se) Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2000 18:32:32 +0000 Subject: Reef rehabilitation e-mail list Message-ID: <1262260088-16018928@kmf.gu.se> Dear coral listers, A new e-mail discussion community has been created to facilitate discussion and contacts between people interested in inexpensive, low-tech, coral reef restoration and coral cover enhancement methods. You are all welcome to subscribe and participate in the discussion (see address info below). This discussion group is a private initiative by some of us who work in the field, and it is not owned by any organisation. The plan to have an interactive homepage for discussions (LTAG) has been cancelled because we realised that many people would not be able to follow it. Best regards Ulf Lindahl Community email addresses: {PRIVATE}Post message: Low- TechReefRehab at onelist.com Subscribe: Low-TechReefRehab- subscribe at onelist.com Unsubscribe: Low-TechReefRehab- unsubscribe at onelist.com List owner: Low-TechReefRehab- owner at onelist.com Shortcut URL to this page: {HYPERLINK "/community/Low- TechReefRehab"}http://www.onelist.com/communit y/Low-TechReefRehab ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From victor.gomelyuk at PWCNT.nt.gov.au Sun Feb 6 17:42:42 2000 From: victor.gomelyuk at PWCNT.nt.gov.au (Gomelyuk, Victor) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 08:12:42 +0930 Subject: O-ops, I'm sorry! Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, Can you have a look at these images and give me suggestions - what's that? http://www.topcities.com/Science/victorg/Forms.htm Dr Victor Gomelyuk Marine Scientist Cobourg Marine Park PO Box 496 PALMERSTON NT 0831 AUSTRALIA phone 61 (08) 8979 0244 FAX 61 (08) 8979 0246 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Michael.D.Noah at poj.usace.army.mil Mon Feb 7 03:34:22 2000 From: Michael.D.Noah at poj.usace.army.mil (Noah, Michael D POJ) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:34:22 +0900 Subject: Coastal Seas Message-ID: I'm just going through some of my older e-mails (vacation in January/February), and I didn't see a public response to your query. If you haven't found a source as yet, you may want to try Amazon.com - they claim to be able to ship the book in 4-6 weeks, and my experience is they usually do. Here's the URL: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0632049553/o/qid=949912286/sr=2-1/002-772 9310-8773819 Mata ne, Michael <<...>> US Army Corps of Engineers Japan District Michael D. Noah, Ecologist USAEDJ, Box 81 APO AP 96338-5010 011-81-311-763-5065 011-81-311-763-8869 FAX Michael.D.Noah at poj.usace.army.mil -----Original Message----- From: Low Kim Yew Jeffrey [mailto:jeffrey at nus.edu.sg] Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2000 5:24 PM To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov Subject: Coastal Seas Hi coral listers, Sorry to trouble everyone on this minor issue. I remember someone mentioning a book by John Clarke (?) called Coastal Seas (?). Unfortunately, I have since deleted that email. Is it in print yet? And where may I get a copy? Thanks. Jeffrey Low Tropical Marine Science Institute National University of Singapore 14 Kent Ridge Road, SINGAPORE 119223 Tel: (65) 774 9656, Fax: (65) 774 9654 Email: jeffrey at nus.edu.sg -----Original Message----- From: sarang kulkarni [mailto:coral110 at usa.net] Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2000 9:35 PM To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov Subject: Is 1998 Elnino is the only culprit of mass mortality? Dear Coral lister, First of all wish you happy new year! Do you think that only 1998 Elino phenomena is only responsible for coral mass mortality or the degradation is natural process as part of ecosystem dynamics in that period. In Andaman Islands, during 1998 Elnino event, it is reported that the mass mortality was 60-90%. Since I am working in this islands from past two year especially in M. G. Marine National Park and even I was present in the field during elnino event reported. I haven't noticed any mass mortality in same period. My LIT data and previous studies (Daorairaj et al 1997, Arthuer 1996) shows that, since 1990 live coral is decreasing gradually at the rate of 3-5 % per year. And I don't see at present rise in surface temperature as culprit of coral mortality in Andaman islands. I beleive that cumulitive effect of sedimentation, storms, decrease in salinity in monsoon and may be rise in sea surface temperature can be the reason of coral mortality in these islands. However by making public statement it can divert attention from real cause of coral reef degradation and it also affect the other researchers who are working on long term project on coral reef assessment and trying to find out what is the extent of various causes on reef. Lets have discussion on the pinpointing the cause of coral mortality. I will be very happy if I get feed back on above topic. Regards Sarang Sarang Kulkarni Coral Reef Researcher Wildlife Institute of India P.B. #18 Dehradun - 248 001 INDIA Phone: 91-135-640112 Fax: 91-135-640117 Email: coral110 at usa.net coral110 at hotmail.com ____________________________________________________________________ Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From U.Lindahl at kmf.gu.se Mon Feb 7 06:56:36 2000 From: U.Lindahl at kmf.gu.se (U.Lindahl at kmf.gu.se) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 11:56:36 +0000 Subject: Low-tech rehabilitation of coral reefs -again Message-ID: <1262197441-19786940@kmf.gu.se> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 1764 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000207/ee642261/attachment.bin From ganesh at www.specola.unifi.it Mon Feb 7 07:32:51 2000 From: ganesh at www.specola.unifi.it (Gianna Innocenti) Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2000 13:32:51 +0100 Subject: info on Madrepora-Acropora Species Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, I am actually working on a very old Anthozoa collection in the Zoological Museum 'La Specola', Firenze (Italy). I have many problems in locate the actual name of some Madrepora species - names that I found written on the old labels on specimens. I am sure that they are now Acropora, but using the Zoological Record and the references available in our Library, I couldn't locate them. Does anybody know the validity of such species and any good and recent references that can help me? Any help will be more than welcome! Here there are: specific name collection locality Madrepora appressa Dana Fiji Is. Madrepora arabica M.Edwards & Haime Red Sea Madrepora canaliculata Klunzinger Red Sea Madrepora candelabrum Sh. ?? Madrepora cycloptera Dana Indopacific region Madrepora echidnoea Dana Fiji Is. Madrepora effusa Dana Indian Oc., Samoa Is. Madrepora forskiali Ehreberg Red Sea Madrepora monasteriata M.Edwards Red Sea Madrepora obtusata Klunzinger Red Sea Madrepora pharaonis M.Edwards Red Sea Madrepora plantaginea Lamarck Indian Oc. Madrepora pocillifera Lamarck Samoa Is. Madrepora prostata Dana Fiji Is. Madrepora pustolosa M.Edwards Red Sea Madrepora scherzeriana (Hoek) Brugg. Red Sea Madrepora secunda Dana ?? Madrepora securis Dana Pacific Oc. ? Madrepora surculosa Dana Indian Oc. Madrepora verrucosa M.Edwards Red Sea Thank you, Deborah Benvenuti Collaborator to the Cnidaria Collection Museo di Storia Naturale dell?Universit? degli Studi di Firenze Sezione di Zoologia "La Specola" Via Romana, 17 50125 Firenze fax: 0039 055 225325 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From bpotter at irf.org Mon Feb 7 10:21:15 2000 From: bpotter at irf.org (Bruce at Island Resources) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 10:21:15 -0500 Subject: Is SEAKEYS successful, necessary? In-Reply-To: <389C6264.5CFEB298@noaa.gov> References: <200002051344.NAA81102@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> <389C6264.5CFEB298@noaa.gov> Message-ID: To the list --- I think I understand and support SEAKEYS as a powerful research tool, and as a way to begin to understand the dynamics of coral bleaching, for example. But not sure I understand how this changes the MANAGEMENT of the reefs. Do management practices change when bleaching occurs? What else might SEAKEYS reveal that changes reef MANAGEMENT in controlled systems like the parks and reserves in the Keys? Is this a technology that could be readily exported to Bonaire, or Saba, or San Andres? best wishes bruce potter >Jim, >I can only reinforce and support your comments on the success of the SEAKEYS >project. As a coral reef manager I continually rely on the system >for real-time >data and for predictive conditions. The system has been particularly >useful for >predicting coral bleaching and correlating the events with Al Strong and Jim >Hendee's more global assessments. > >Jim ... you were kind in your response. Had I invested as much of my time and >energy into SEAKEYS as you and others have, I would have been a little less >polite in my response. Billy Causey > >Jim Hendee wrote: > > > Dear Francisco, > > > > Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you on this. I think > > it is of benefit to the list to know the answer to this, as well. > > > > If you mean, do seven sites strung along the Florida Keys and > > Florida Bay actually continually send out meteorological and oceanographic > > data 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for eight years continuously, and > > provide good data, then Yes, this systems works (albeit with much > > attention to care and maintenance by the venerable Florida Institute of > > Oceanography field team of Chris Humphrey, Jeff Absten, Trent Moore, Karol > > Ferguson and Dave Forcucci over the years). If you mean does it actually > > provide *information* (as opposed to data), the answer is still Yes. In > > this sense, the SEAKEYS system is unlike any other marine environmental > > monitoring system in the world, because a) the data are actually screened > > using expert heuritics and deductions to determine whether data can > > reasonably be expected to represent good values are not, and are reported > > back to the FIO field team and to the knowledge engineer (that's me) in > > near real-time, and, b) the data are are transformed into information and > > knowledge for purposes of determining whether or not conditions are > > conducive to coral bleaching, or not. These tasks are accomplished with > > an artificial intelligence tool--expert systems--and will soon also be > > accomplished with another artificial intelligence tool, neural networks. > > The suite of tools used for this particular coral bleaching application is > > called the Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS), and is also being > > deployed in a modeling research mode for conditions conducive to coral > > bleaching at selected sites on the Great Barrier Reef, also in a > > continuous mode. To learn more about these *research* products, see > > > > http://www.coral.noaa.gov/sferpm/seakeys/es > > http://www.coral.noaa.gov/gbr/es > > > > for the Florida Keys and the GBR, respectively. (I want to underscore > > again that these are modeling research products still under development. > > Set aside for the moment discussions as to what *actually* is responsible > > for coral bleaching!) Other applications are being developed besides for > > coral bleaching, too. On a very provisional basis we are also > > investigating the use of the SEAKEYS data for conch and spiny lobster > > larval recruitement modeling. > > > > If you also want to ask, "Is SEAKEYS necessary?" then the > > answer--in light of today's more rapidly deteriorating marine environment, > > where timely decisions by marine park and sanctuary managers are very > > critical to ensuring the integrity of their respective marine > > ecosystems--is Yes again, at least in my opinion. > > > > This is not to say that the SEAKEYS system trivializes monitoring, > > measuring, and understanding the marine ecosystem. We all know how > > difficult it is to understand nature, but we have to start somewhere, and > > I personally believe that any attempt to model such a complex phenomenon > > is worthy of the time and effort. Also, we all know that we need > > long-term data to understand the reaction of coral reefs to anthropogenic > > and natural perturbations. > > > > Personally, I think the SEAKEYS system, brilliantlly conceived and > > implemented by Dr. John Ogden and his colleagues (see citation below), > > serves as a model for other nations and should be looked at very carefully > > and considered for implementation at their critical coral reef areas. If > > you'd like to know more about efforts in this direction, please ask (or > > others from coral-list can respond). > > > > I hope this helps answer your question. > > > > Cheers, > > Jim Hendee > > > > Ogden, J.C.; Porter, J.; Smith, N.; Szmant, A.; Jaap, W.; and Forcucci, D. > > 1994. A long-term interdisciplinary study of the Florida Keys seascape. > > Bulletin of Marine Science 54(3): 1059-1071. > > > > On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Francisco KELMO wrote: > > > > > Hi Folks, > > > I am afraid to ask this (I might be sounding arrongant and/or/even > > > pretentiuos), but: Are you sure that this system works? > > > How a delicated, complicated and little understood ecosystem can be > > > monitored in this way? > > > Many thanks for your comments, Frank. > > > > > > > > > > Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 21:28:41 GMT > > > > From: Sandra Vargo > > > > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov > > > > Cc: Deborah Haynes , > > > > ogden , > > > > milliken > > > > Subject: Publications using SEAKEYS monitoring station data > > > > Reply-to: Sandra Vargo > > > > > > > > > > > The SEAKEYS network is a series of 7 automated environmental monitoring > > > > stations located along the Florida Reef Tract and in Florida Bay. The > > > > data is transmitted by satellite and can be viewed on bulletin boards > > > > maintained by NOAA/AOML and Dept. of Marine Science/University of South > > > > Florida. The URLs are http://www.coral.noaa.gov/cman and > > > > http://comps.marine.usf.edu. This network is supported by >grant funds. We > > > > need your help in compiling a list of users of the SEAKEYS data and any > > > > publications which may have resulted. Please e-mail or send by mail a > > > > list of your publications which may utilize this data to Deborah Haynes > > > > (dhaynes at marine.usf.edu), Fax 727/553-1109, and mailing >address FIO, 830 > > > > First Street S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712. > > > > > > > > Thanks for your help. > > > > > > > > Cheers, > > > > Sandy Vargo > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > > F.Kelmo > > > Coral Reef Ecology > > > Benthic Ecology Research Group > > > 613 Davy Building, University of Plymouth, > > > Drake Circus, Devon, PL4 8AA > > > United Kingdon. > > > Phone: +44 (0)1752 232951 (Lab) +44 (0)870 710 5741 (home) > > > Fax: +44 (0)1752 232970 > > > E-mail: fkelmo at plymouth.ac.uk > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >-- >Billy D. Causey, Superintendent >Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary >PO Box 500368 >Marathon, FL 33050 >Phone (305) 743.2437, Fax (305) 743.2357 >http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/ > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) >sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program >(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site >for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Island Resources Foundation 27 Years of Environmental Planning for Development ><+><+><+><+><+>< Web Site><+>< Island Resources Foundation |+|Island Resources Foundation Headquarters & Library |+|Contributions and Publications 6292 Estate Nazareth No. 100 |+|1718 "P" Street NW, Suite T-4 St. Thomas, VI 00802-1104 |+|Washington, DC 20036 Phone 340/775-6225 |+|Phone 202/265-9712 fax 779-2022 |+|fax 232-0748 Internet: etowle at irf.org |+|bpotter at irf.org -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Promote Island Resources---Send Your $35 Membership to the DC Office -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Billy.Causey at noaa.gov Mon Feb 7 14:06:07 2000 From: Billy.Causey at noaa.gov (Billy Causey) Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2000 14:06:07 -0500 Subject: Is SEAKEYS successful, necessary? References: <200002051344.NAA81102@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> <389C6264.5CFEB298@noaa.gov> Message-ID: <389F179D.404C053@noaa.gov> Bruce, You asked a great question and by doing so ... raise an important issue that we are continually confronted with and that is the integration of management with science and the integration of science with education and outreach. I can't really take all the time that is necessary to go into a lot of detail due to some immediate deadlines, but I can give you a couple of examples of how I use SEAKEYS for improving management of coral reefs. 1. coral bleaching: SEAKEYS has helped us become much better at predicting coral bleaching events. Something that I have observed in the community is that we are gaining more credibility by being capable of predicting an on-coming coral bleaching event and the public is more aroused from a curiosity viewpoint than a critical, "oh the sky is falling sort of reaction." Additionally, I have observed that the general public is more engaging and less critical of science when they see it working, e.g. the prediction of a global event that effects a resource that they care about and their business is dependent upon. People support more research and science dollars if they can relate to a "good cause." Also .... from a very basic viewpoint ... predictability of coral bleaching events has helped us heighten the awareness of the public that this is more than a local event, but that there are global implications. This in turns helps us generate a constituency for coral reefs, etc. More appropriately, if we can forecast a coral bleaching event we can direct research and science interests in ways that will help us get answers to management questions (e.g. are the reefs bleaching because of a pollution source or changing hydrographic conditions ). Additionally, if we anticipate a severe coral bleaching event, it gives us the opportunity to reach out to various groups (e.g. divers, fishers) and enlist their help or support during the event for observations, support, and other 2. The SEAKEYS does far more than record physical conditions that set the scene for coral bleaching events .... it provides real-time data that managers can pass along to the public, whether it is temperature of the water, wave height, etc. These data are important to scientists, managers, and the public alike. Anyway .... I have to go for now, especially before I start a thread of conservation that I cannot MANAGE at this time. Cheers, Billy Causey Bruce at Island Resources wrote: > To the list --- > > I think I understand and support SEAKEYS as a powerful research tool, > and as a way to begin to understand the dynamics of coral bleaching, > for example. > > But not sure I understand how this changes the MANAGEMENT of the reefs. > > Do management practices change when bleaching occurs? > > What else might SEAKEYS reveal that changes reef MANAGEMENT in > controlled systems like the parks and reserves in the Keys? > > Is this a technology that could be readily exported to Bonaire, or > Saba, or San Andres? > > best wishes > > bruce potter > > >Jim, > >I can only reinforce and support your comments on the success of the SEAKEYS > >project. As a coral reef manager I continually rely on the system > >for real-time > >data and for predictive conditions. The system has been particularly > >useful for > >predicting coral bleaching and correlating the events with Al Strong and Jim > >Hendee's more global assessments. > > > >Jim ... you were kind in your response. Had I invested as much of my time and > >energy into SEAKEYS as you and others have, I would have been a little less > >polite in my response. Billy Causey > > > >Jim Hendee wrote: > > > > > Dear Francisco, > > > > > > Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you on this. I think > > > it is of benefit to the list to know the answer to this, as well. > > > > > > If you mean, do seven sites strung along the Florida Keys and > > > Florida Bay actually continually send out meteorological and oceanographic > > > data 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for eight years continuously, and > > > provide good data, then Yes, this systems works (albeit with much > > > attention to care and maintenance by the venerable Florida Institute of > > > Oceanography field team of Chris Humphrey, Jeff Absten, Trent Moore, Karol > > > Ferguson and Dave Forcucci over the years). If you mean does it actually > > > provide *information* (as opposed to data), the answer is still Yes. In > > > this sense, the SEAKEYS system is unlike any other marine environmental > > > monitoring system in the world, because a) the data are actually screened > > > using expert heuritics and deductions to determine whether data can > > > reasonably be expected to represent good values are not, and are reported > > > back to the FIO field team and to the knowledge engineer (that's me) in > > > near real-time, and, b) the data are are transformed into information and > > > knowledge for purposes of determining whether or not conditions are > > > conducive to coral bleaching, or not. These tasks are accomplished with > > > an artificial intelligence tool--expert systems--and will soon also be > > > accomplished with another artificial intelligence tool, neural networks. > > > The suite of tools used for this particular coral bleaching application is > > > called the Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS), and is also being > > > deployed in a modeling research mode for conditions conducive to coral > > > bleaching at selected sites on the Great Barrier Reef, also in a > > > continuous mode. To learn more about these *research* products, see > > > > > > http://www.coral.noaa.gov/sferpm/seakeys/es > > > http://www.coral.noaa.gov/gbr/es > > > > > > for the Florida Keys and the GBR, respectively. (I want to underscore > > > again that these are modeling research products still under development. > > > Set aside for the moment discussions as to what *actually* is responsible > > > for coral bleaching!) Other applications are being developed besides for > > > coral bleaching, too. On a very provisional basis we are also > > > investigating the use of the SEAKEYS data for conch and spiny lobster > > > larval recruitement modeling. > > > > > > If you also want to ask, "Is SEAKEYS necessary?" then the > > > answer--in light of today's more rapidly deteriorating marine environment, > > > where timely decisions by marine park and sanctuary managers are very > > > critical to ensuring the integrity of their respective marine > > > ecosystems--is Yes again, at least in my opinion. > > > > > > This is not to say that the SEAKEYS system trivializes monitoring, > > > measuring, and understanding the marine ecosystem. We all know how > > > difficult it is to understand nature, but we have to start somewhere, and > > > I personally believe that any attempt to model such a complex phenomenon > > > is worthy of the time and effort. Also, we all know that we need > > > long-term data to understand the reaction of coral reefs to anthropogenic > > > and natural perturbations. > > > > > > Personally, I think the SEAKEYS system, brilliantlly conceived and > > > implemented by Dr. John Ogden and his colleagues (see citation below), > > > serves as a model for other nations and should be looked at very carefully > > > and considered for implementation at their critical coral reef areas. If > > > you'd like to know more about efforts in this direction, please ask (or > > > others from coral-list can respond). > > > > > > I hope this helps answer your question. > > > > > > Cheers, > > > Jim Hendee > > > > > > Ogden, J.C.; Porter, J.; Smith, N.; Szmant, A.; Jaap, W.; and Forcucci, D. > > > 1994. A long-term interdisciplinary study of the Florida Keys seascape. > > > Bulletin of Marine Science 54(3): 1059-1071. > > > > > > On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Francisco KELMO wrote: > > > > > > > Hi Folks, > > > > I am afraid to ask this (I might be sounding arrongant and/or/even > > > > pretentiuos), but: Are you sure that this system works? > > > > How a delicated, complicated and little understood ecosystem can be > > > > monitored in this way? > > > > Many thanks for your comments, Frank. > > > > > > > > > > > > > Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 21:28:41 GMT > > > > > From: Sandra Vargo > > > > > To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov > > > > > Cc: Deborah Haynes , > > > > > ogden , > > > > > milliken > > > > > Subject: Publications using SEAKEYS monitoring station data > > > > > Reply-to: Sandra Vargo > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The SEAKEYS network is a series of 7 automated environmental monitoring > > > > > stations located along the Florida Reef Tract and in Florida Bay. The > > > > > data is transmitted by satellite and can be viewed on bulletin boards > > > > > maintained by NOAA/AOML and Dept. of Marine Science/University of South > > > > > Florida. The URLs are http://www.coral.noaa.gov/cman and > > > > > http://comps.marine.usf.edu. This network is supported by > >grant funds. We > > > > > need your help in compiling a list of users of the SEAKEYS data and any > > > > > publications which may have resulted. Please e-mail or send by mail a > > > > > list of your publications which may utilize this data to Deborah Haynes > > > > > (dhaynes at marine.usf.edu), Fax 727/553-1109, and mailing > >address FIO, 830 > > > > > First Street S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712. > > > > > > > > > > Thanks for your help. > > > > > > > > > > Cheers, > > > > > Sandy Vargo > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > > > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > > > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > > > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > > > > F.Kelmo > > > > Coral Reef Ecology > > > > Benthic Ecology Research Group > > > > 613 Davy Building, University of Plymouth, > > > > Drake Circus, Devon, PL4 8AA > > > > United Kingdon. > > > > Phone: +44 (0)1752 232951 (Lab) +44 (0)870 710 5741 (home) > > > > Fax: +44 (0)1752 232970 > > > > E-mail: fkelmo at plymouth.ac.uk > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > > > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > > > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > > > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > >-- > >Billy D. Causey, Superintendent > >Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary > >PO Box 500368 > >Marathon, FL 33050 > >Phone (305) 743.2437, Fax (305) 743.2357 > >http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/ > > > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > >sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > >(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > >for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Island Resources Foundation > 27 Years of Environmental Planning for Development > > ><+><+><+><+><+>< Web Site><+>< > > Island Resources Foundation |+|Island Resources Foundation > Headquarters & Library |+|Contributions and Publications > 6292 Estate Nazareth No. 100 |+|1718 "P" Street NW, Suite T-4 > St. Thomas, VI 00802-1104 |+|Washington, DC 20036 > Phone 340/775-6225 |+|Phone 202/265-9712 > fax 779-2022 |+|fax 232-0748 > Internet: etowle at irf.org |+|bpotter at irf.org > > -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ > Promote Island Resources---Send Your $35 Membership to the DC Office > -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) > sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program > (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site > for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- Billy D. Causey, Superintendent Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary PO Box 500368 Marathon, FL 33050 Phone (305) 743.2437, Fax (305) 743.2357 http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000207/df997d52/attachment.html From Jim_Tilmant at nps.gov Mon Feb 7 15:28:48 2000 From: Jim_Tilmant at nps.gov (Jim Tilmant) Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 15:28:48 -0500 Subject: Coral Reef Positions Open Message-ID: <0007FA71.C22031@nps.gov> DATE: February 2000 US DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, PACIFIC WEST REGION NOTICE OF INTENT TO RECRUIT 4 INTERDISCIPLINARY CORAL REEF SPECIALISTS Background: The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking to improve coral reef conservation within the Pacific Island parks in support of a Presidential Executive Order calling for better protection and management of our nation's coral reef resources. In the next six months, the NPS will hire up to 4 professional coral reef specialists in the Pacific West Region. Applicants selected will be required to develop scientifically based programs to inventory, map, monitor and protect coral reefs. This is only a Notice of Intent NOT a Vacancy Announcement. Do not send any job applications at this time. Program Design: The initial network will consist of four park-based coral reef specialists (target grade GS-11) and one science advisor based at a university (target grade GS-13). This group will develop park based natural resource management programs, integrating coral reef conservation with management of a full range of other aquatic and terrestrial resources. Selected applicants will also be expected to foster cooperative interagency relationships and coordinate programs with local and national coral reef initiatives. Location: Duty stations are projected to be located in Hawaii and Guam. Expertise Desired: NPS is seeking qualified applicants in the following or closely related fields: Marine Ecology Coral Reef Ecology Marine Botany Conservation Biology Marine Biology Oceanography Marine Fisheries Employment Level: Professional level, full-time permanent positions ranging from GS-09 ($39,665 to $51,561) to GS-13 ($68,400 to $88,917) which may include a cost of living allowance and/or non-foreign post differential of 15% to 25% depending on duty station location and an employee's eligibility for the non-foreign post differential. Applicants will need to meet basic educational and work experience requirements as defined by the Office of Personnel Management for these positions (see web site for more information at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/A/GS-PROF.HTM). The applicant must be a United States citizen or American Samoan. Current federal government employment may or may not be required as a condition for applying for these positions. This will be determined at a later date. The employment status of the position will be displayed on the Vacancy Announcement as well as other hiring criteria that may apply. Notice of interest: If you wish to be notified by surface mail or by email when the coral reef specialist vacancy announcement becomes available, please submit a letter, postcard or email of your interest by March 1, 2000 to the address below. Also provide an indication of your interest in positions stationed in Guam and Hawaii (islands of Hawaii, Molokai, and Oahu). Again, do not send job applications at this time. Coral Reef Outreach c/o National Park Service, Pacific West Region, 600 Harrison St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107-1372 or email to: pwro_coral_reef at nps.gov ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From ganesh at www.specola.unifi.it Tue Feb 8 04:58:54 2000 From: ganesh at www.specola.unifi.it (Deborah Benvenuti) Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2000 10:58:54 +0100 Subject: info on Madrepora-Acropora Species: thanks Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, I would like to thank everybody answered to my inquiry regarding Madrepora/Acropora species. Thank you again, Deborah Benvenuti Collaborator to the Cnidaria Collection Museo di Storia Naturale dell?Universit? degli Studi di Firenze Sezione di Zoologia "La Specola" Via Romana, 17 50125 Firenze fax: 0039 055 225325 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From corals at caribe.net Tue Feb 8 08:07:12 2000 From: corals at caribe.net (CORALations) Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 09:07:12 -0400 Subject: Educational Materials Request Message-ID: <001f01bf7236$5667b1e0$b5c55bd1@default> I am forwarding Mr. Aldridge some information and links, but don't know where he can obtain coral reef information specific to Malaysia. Maybe someone on this list can help him. ----- Original Message ----- From: Mr M A Aldridge To: Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2000 2:01 PM Subject: Mary Ann Lucking > Dear Mary Ann Lucking, > > I would like to obtain educational resources about Coral Reefs (especially > in Malaysia), for distribution within UK primary schools. There are no > Coral Reefs around us here, but I still feel that as part of an educational > programme that I have been working on, materials would be very usful to the > childrens learning about the world around them. If you could assist in any > way, please let me know. > > Thank you very much for your assistance, > Sincerely, > > > Matthew Aldridge. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov Tue Feb 8 12:44:04 2000 From: Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov (Jim Hendee) Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 17:44:04 GMT Subject: SEAKEYS and Management questions Message-ID: <200002081744.RAA05173@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Bruce & List, Thank you, Bruce, for those excellent questions (see bottom, attached). Part of NOAA's mission is to study the ocean and atmosphere and make recommendations to the US Government's decision makers, based on that research. In that sense, having good long-term data, such as through SEAKEYS, is of great value in management of the reefs of the Florida Keys. That is the primary goal of SEAKEYS: to provide good long-term data for environmental managers and researchers. The goals of CREWS are to provide decision support; to model hypotheses of what causes certain biological events (in this case, bleaching), using the physical data and feedback from the field; and to provide ground-truthing to satellite-derived data. Concerning the change of management practices, incidences of bleaching lead more to indirect management changes than direct (although I would think that a management option to consider would be reducing any sort of additional anthropogenic stress that might occur at the bleaching site). This I would illustrate by recounting what is happening today. Incidences of coral bleaching appear to be on the rise (and not just a greater capability to report), and it appears to primarily be through global warming. Thus, as we develop tools that allow us to better monitor incidences of bleaching (and other natural phemnomena), we provide ourselves with a greater capacity to recommend, through our government, means for reducing those factors that adversely affect the environment. In fact, your same sort of question was asked of me by others: "So you can predict bleaching through your expert system or through Al Strong's HotSpots satellite technology--so what? What can you do about it?" The answer is nothing at the moment, but we have successfully made the public aware (as Billy Causey alluded to) and we are (hopefully) bringing about an eventual reduction in global warming through our recommendations to the US Congress, and their passing the appropriate laws. Also, since bleaching occurs under other sorts of stresses, the research tools we develop help us to better understand how other influences affect the reefs. The more sensors we can get in the water, and the more people we can get to actually watch the changes, the more we will be able to understand what is happening (but I'm preaching to the choir here...). As to your question, "What else might SEAKEYS reveal that changes reef MANAGEMENT in controlled systems like the parks and reserves in the Keys?" I would just say, in addtion to above, that the SEAKEYS approach can do quite a bit of what you might want it to do by adding the sensors necessary to measure what you're interested in. Obvious limitations aside, the more you can measure the physical environment the better your decision making power will be. And the more sensors you have, the more permutations of influencing factors you can consider, especially via the CREWS approach, which can do a lot of up-front processing of data for you and thus save you a lot of work. You as the Manger need the facts at your disposal to make an informed decision, and as I said, timely decisions these days are essential. SEAKEYS and CREWS don't rest, thus their value in timeliness. As to your last question, "Is this a technology that could be readily exported to Bonaire, or Saba, or San Andres?" The answer is Yes, if "readily" can be translated to the appropriate funding. In fact, the US Coral Reef Task Force Monitoring Working Group is considering this right now for US coral reef areas, and some of us in NOAA have been speaking with people in Indonesia about the possibility of exporting this technology to their area. Also, the Australian Instiute of Marine Science (AIMS) has a network up much like SEAKEYS (hourly meteorology, sea temp, PAR), and, as I undersand it, they are looking to upgrade some of their stations with more oceanographic instrumentation. And as I mentioned, we in NOAA have been working with AIMS and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to develop a CREWS system at four reef areas on the Great Barrier Reef. This is still very experimental, but we are working with Ray Berkelmans (of AIMS) and his excellent field work (with B. Willis of James Cook University, ref. below) to lend greater predictive capability to CREWS and Al Strong's HotSpots technology. I hope this sheds some light on the subject. Cheers, Jim Hendee Berkelmans, R. and Willis, B.L. 1999. Seasonal and local spatial patterns in the upper thermal limits of corals on the inshore Central Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 18: 219-228. On Mon, 7 Feb 2000, Bruce at Island Resources wrote: > > To the list --- > > I think I understand and support SEAKEYS as a powerful research tool, > and as a way to begin to understand the dynamics of coral bleaching, > for example. > > But not sure I understand how this changes the MANAGEMENT of the reefs. > > Do management practices change when bleaching occurs? > > What else might SEAKEYS reveal that changes reef MANAGEMENT in > controlled systems like the parks and reserves in the Keys? > > Is this a technology that could be readily exported to Bonaire, or > Saba, or San Andres? > > best wishes > > bruce potter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From sbf at btl.net Wed Feb 9 15:06:48 2000 From: sbf at btl.net (Siwa-Ban) Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 20:06:48 GMT Subject: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting March 2 (fwd) Message-ID: <200002092006.UAA03512@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Hopefully this task force will also address the problems brought about by US corporations or development groups conducting environmentally questionable development projects in other countries with coral reefs (eg, Belize). This is a real problem here, probably elsewhere as well. Best wishes Ellen McRae The Siwa-ban Foundation PO Box 47 Caye Caulker Belize, Central America ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From cdanck at lemur.org Wed Feb 9 15:33:59 2000 From: cdanck at lemur.org (Carolyn Danckaert) Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2000 13:33:59 -0700 Subject: Scientist's Letter on Global Warming Message-ID: <200002092005.UAA14453@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Dear Concerned Scientists: Ozone Action, a national environmental non-profit organization devoted to atmospheric protection, is working on an initiative to ensure that all presidential candidates make climate change a priority. We are urging presidential candidates to articulate concrete plans on how to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The leadership of the scientific community is crucial if the candidates are going to give climate change the attention it deserves as an issue of national concern. Accordingly, we are seeking the support of scientists here in Florida and across the nation to call on the presidential candidates to engage in an open, honest and candid dialogue on climate change and discuss their plans to address this critical issue. Below you will find a letter by George Woodwell of Woods Hole Research Center calling on the presidential candidates to make global climate change an integral part of their election season debates and to develop specific plans of action to reduce domestic sources of greenhouse gases. =20 We hope that you will join scientists from across Florida in signing onto this important statement. To join this effort, simply reply to this e-mail and affirm that you would like your name added to the "Scientists' Letter to the Nation on Global Warming." Thank you for your concern. If you have any questions about this initiative, please e-mail cdanck at lemur.org or call 813-207-0220. Sincerely, Carolyn Danckaert Florida Field Organizer Ozone Action 813-207-0220 (phone) 813-286-1315 (fax) ***************************************************************************= * *** January, 2000 Elections offer an opportunity for change, and change is clearly needed in the U.S. response to climatic disruption. The issue must become a part of the debate in the series of elections later this year. Scientists have had a key role in advancing the issue to this point and we cannot now allow our progress to falter. I ask that you renew your participation in the political process by joining once again in a clear and simple statement from the scientific community reiterating the reality, the scale and seriousness of the problem and the necessity of governmental leadership. The statement will be used as the basis for advancing intensive discussion during the election regarding the need for governmental action to deflect climatic disruption. Please consider joining me in this brief statement. Sincerely, George Woodwell Director Woods Hole Research Center ***************************************************************************= * **** Scientists=92 Letter to the Nation on Global Warming: January 2000 In June 1997, 2,400 scientists joined in a letter confirming the seriousness of the climatic disruption then conspicuously underway. They took that unusual action because there had been systematic efforts from a coalition of petroleum and allied interests to undermine in the public eye the strong basis in science behind the observations of global climatic changes. Our own government, despite having joined virtually all other nations globally in ratifying the Framework Convention on Climate Change, has found itself powerless to act in addressing the purpose of the Convention: stabilization of the heat-trapping gas content of the atmosphere at levels that will protect human interests and nature. The costs of this failure are accumulating as irreversible changes in the composition of the atmosphere that are triggering increasingly costly global climatic disruption, including rapid changes in the mean temperature of the earth into the indefinite future. Since the 1997 statement we have watched the steady further accumulation of evidence of the warming of the earth and its disruptive effects. The warming trend has continued with 1998 the warmest year ever. Recent data from the Arctic Ocean confirm a 40% reduction in the volume of the ice cover over recent decades. Observations from the Antarctic have shown massive losses from the ice shelves surrounding that frozen continent. There has been an accentuation of climatic anomalies such as the El Nino/southern Oscillation that brought drought and fires to the normally moist rainforests of the Amazon and Borneo and extraordinary rains and unusually severe and costly storms to Central America and the southeastern US. Shorter, milder winters are affecting the health and vigor of trees in mid-latitude and northern forests which become vulnerable to insects and diseases. We have seen damag= e to coral reefs due to warmer waters around the world. We have also seen a systematic expansion of the ranges of the great human diseases such as malaria, schistosomiasis, and dengue fever as the earth warms. While these observations are in addition to the observations published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1996, they do not reflect the commitment to further warming already made in the present accumulation of heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere. That commitment reaches well beyond current predictions into the realm of surprises involving changes in the circulation of oceanic water and major patterns of atmospheric circulation. In a world of six billion people these surprises are likely to be disruptive, unwelcome, and politically and economically destabilizing. The issues are real, immediate, unequivocally a part of our world and require our attention and that of the rest of the world. Constructive U.S. leadership is needed now. During the 1990=92s, the United States=92 emissions of greenhouse gases hav= e continued to climb despite our commitments under the Convention and despite voluntary reductions proposed by the US under the Kyoto Protocol to the Convention. The Protocol, although signed by the US, has not been ratified. During the same period experience has shown around the world that reductions can be made in greenhouse gas emissions while improving not only human welfare but also economic development. Advances continue in alternatives to fossil fuels for industrial energy. The elected officials of the United States, present and future, local and national, must deliver a concrete plan of action that will result in real and significant reductions in U.S. emissions of greenhouse gasses beginning immediately. Such a program for the US will provide the leadership for an international cooperative effort that is unlikely to emerge otherwise. We urge business and other civic leaders to join in this national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Avoiding an unfolding human disaster of continued global warming will take major efforts throughout the foreseeable future from the scientific community and from government, supported steadfastly and relentlessly by a well-informed and alert public. Signed, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From gregorh at pacific.net.hk Mon Feb 7 15:40:14 2000 From: gregorh at pacific.net.hk (Gregor Hodgson) Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2000 04:40:14 +0800 Subject: Reef Check Jan 2000 Update Full Text Message-ID: <389F2DAE.508E6147@pacific.net.hk> By request: 1. Reef Check wins prestigious environmental award On 15 January, in Tunis, Reef Check was awarded the prestigious GPIEM Global International Marine Environmental Award (2nd Lauriate). This award is given every two years by the Confederation Mondiale Des Activites Subaquatique (CMAS and known in English as the World Underwater Federation). CMAS is the largest dive organization in the world and has dozens of national federation members in all areas where divers are found. To be recognized in this way by CMAS is the highest recognition that the diving community can give to Reef Check. This is acknowledgement of the hard work and sacrifices by all participants over the past three years. On hand to receive the award on behalf of all Reef Check participants were Reef Check Coordinator Gregor Hodgson and Thai Coordinator Anne Miller. The award was presented by his Excellency, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and CMAS President, Achille Ferrero, in the ornate presidential palace at Carthage. The hospitality shown by the Tunisians and CMAS was outstanding, and we thank the jury and CMAS committee for organizing such an amazing ceremony. For more info about CMAS and their scientific certification see http://www.cmas.org 2. Join "Dive In to Earth Day" April 12-22, 2000 CORAL, Reef Check and Earth Day Network have joined forces to promote Earth Day 2000 the 30th Anniversary, by co-sponsoring a week-long "Dive In." The objective of the Dive In for Earth Day is simply to raise public awareness of marine environmental issues. For Reef Checkers, this is a great excuse to arrange training, PR or survey activities during this week. Lets try and raise the noise level and put pressure on governments to take notice of coral reefs! Once you have decided to get involved, please inform RC HQ at and post your activity on the Earth Day website http://www.earthday.net/ For further info on whether there is already a Dive In activity in your area, contact Anita Daley at CORAL www.coral.org/divein.html 3. Reef Check Foundation established in Hong Kong Reef Check Foundation is a registered non-profit charity in Hong Kong. This allows Reef Check to accept tax exempt donations in Hong Kong and to manage grants. 4. Support News: Quiksilver, Leonardo DiCaprio, ICRAN(WRI, ICLARM) Quiksilver is supporting Reef Check so we hope that you will support Quiksilver. After some dry-dock time for refitting and repairs to the intrepid Indies Trader, the amazing surf/Reef Check expedition called "The Crossing" has continued on its way to seek out new surf and remote reefs to be surveyed. Quiksilver has become the first corporate donor to the RC Foundation. A possible 10-part TV series is under negotiation. The actor, Leonardo DiCaprio has volunteered to be the Chairperson for Earth Day 2000. In late November, Earth Day Founder Denis Hayes, Natural Resources Defense Council CEO John Adams, and Reef Check Coordinator Gregor Hodgson contributed to an Earth Day Special Yahoo chat session chaired by Leonardo in Hollywood. The session broke all records for participation. Leonardo, who has featured Reef Check on his personal website (www.leonardodicaprio.com) since last May (following an intro to RC in Thailand by Anne Miller), talked with his fans about clean energy, global warming and how this is tied in with threats to coral reefs. After the live session, questions put to his fans indicated that they were extremely pleased that he is supporting coral reef conservation. Leonardo is promising to get in the water with another RC team in the near future. We are pleased to announce that Reef Check and WRI are collaborating with ICLARM and other partners in the production of the first Regional Reefs at Risk report -- on Asia. The RC database will perform an important role of this collaboration. We thank Lauretta Burke (WRI) for suggesting this idea and pushing it through. 5. Help and Win Raffle Launched The Help and Win raffle in benefit of Reef Check was officially launched in December and it will run through April 2000. Win a house and US$150K at www.helpandwin.com Thanks to John Williams for coming up with this unique idea to support charities. 6. RC Transfer and Intl Press Conference Plan The 1999 Reef Check was very successful with major growth in numbers of reef sites surveyed and many new countries joining in. The Intl Press Conference to announce the 1999 results has been moved to March 2000 in anticipation of Reef Check HQ moving to the US and reaching agreement with Natural Resources Defense Council to act as co-host. The paperwork is presently being drawn up by NRDC's attorneys, and we await the official agreement before we announce the date of the Press Con. We thank NRDC CEO John Adams and independent advisor Jeff Sachs for suggesting this collaboration. In the meantime, we encourage all national RC Coordinators to proceed with their own National Press Conferences when desired. 7. 1997-98 Database release It has become apparent that there is now a mad rush to compile reports on coral reef status for many different programs, projects and reasons. One of the major reasons is to compile the GCRMN/RC Status of the World's Reefs Report for the Bali ICRS Symposium. Rather than respond to each request individually, RC has decided to release the RC database for 1997 and 1998 to researchers by posting it on the NOAA CHAMP website at http://www.coral.noaa.gov/reefcheck. The database is in Microsoft Access. An explanatory companion PDF file is also found there that can be downloaded using Adobe Acrobat. We thank the CHAMP himself, NOAA's Jim Hendee and webmaster Monika Gurnee for their help in setting this up while our new RC website is under construction. The condition for the use of the data is that it be properly cited. The database citation is included in the PDF file. If you make extensive use of country data, please cite the teams who collected it. 8. Reef World/Reef Check Collaboration The Reef World program is an evolving series of educational packages designed to lead newcomers (non-divers, tourists, children, villagers) into coral reef ecology. It has been successfully tested this year in Thailand and works well. The ultimate objective is to lure more people to support and participate in community-based management and Reef Check. Revenue from the sales of Reef World training will go towards supporting Reef Check training and surveys. This is the type of market-based self-financing mechanism that can support RC activities in the long term. Therefore RC will be promoting Reef World activities in the future. For more info see: www.Reef-World.com Anne hopes to develop a Caribbean RW soon. 9. Selected Country reports USA: The US government has finally recognized the importance of coral reefs in America. The US Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF) has developed an Action Plan that formally recognizes the role of Reef Check and GCRMN. The US Congress has approved some funds for coral reef activities. Hopefully some of those will trickle down to Reef Check teams in the US. Several grant sources are available for US teams. Please contact us if you need help. Hawaii: There has been a lot of activity in Hawaii over the past few months since the cards were laid on the table and common sense prevailed. Reef Check Hawaii coordinator Dave Raney, ably supported by Robin Newbold on Maui, Jim Maragos, Rick Grigg on Oahu, Sara Peck on the Big Island among others, was buoyed by a massive outpouring of support from all sides (NGOs, government, academics, and the public). Dave will be representing RC at an upcoming NOAA workshop Feb 9-11 to develop a national program to assess and monitor coral reefs (about time!). We are confident that they too will recognize the cost-effectiveness and scientific value of involving communities in coral reef monitoring and management through Reef Check. SPREP Region: We thank James Aston for doing a tremendous job leading GCRMN/RC activities in the islands and wish him luck back in Australia. Accomplishments for 1999 include: ? funding for a GCRMN/RC node in Micronesia starting in 2000. Proposals for Melanesia, Polynesia and outliers in progress. ? RC workshop held in French Polynesia. RC will become a standard component of our MPA establishment training workshops. Yannick Chancellor (a fish!) from CRIOBE in French Polynesia node provided the training it was very successful. Philippines: Congrats to Philippines Coordinator Laurie Raymundo for completing her degree at Cornell! Now she is back in the RC saddle at Silliman. Thanks also to Alan White, Mike Ross, Kitty Courtney and Andre U for providing great datasets from their respective surveys this year. Australia: Andy Dunstan, our intrepid RC Coordinator E. Australia has outdone himself this year with some incredible video (based on the frame grabs) of large sharks, mantas, and grouper spotted during his RC surveys of the GBR. Anyone heading up to Port Douglas should stop in and ask for a look and ask him which reef has up to 11 large grouper per transect!! New Team of Top Enders!! For all you NT residents, a new Reef Check team is setting up in Darwin. Contact Patrick O'Leary Marine and Coastal Community Network NT Ph: 08 89815433 Mob: 0419 119 294 Fax: 08 89410387 Email: mccnnt at ozemail.com.au Kate Osborne of AIMS is working hard to complete a CD-ROM that will include RC methods, photos and even video Mauritius: Thanks to Helge Vogt for his report on surveys of 6 sites in Mauritius and Rodrigues. "These data are a result of a true team effort involving volunteers from the Mauritius Scuba Dive organisation and various Mauritian scientific organisations. The fieldwork was organised by the Shoals of Capricorn Project administered by the Royal Geographical Society. We are very pleased with the ReefCheck experience which brought together scientists and recreational SCUBA divers as well as representatives from the NGO scene. We would like to organise further ReefCheck surveys in the years to come." Saudi Arabia: About 40 sites were surveyed by Lyndon Devantier -- if only he could convince the government to release the data Japan: A big thanks to Mariko Abe and Mr Saeki Nobuo who are stepping aside as coordinators leaving two new coordinators in her place in both Okinawa and Tokyo. A great year of survey work and good luck on the upcoming Press Con! New Japanese coordinators are: Yasuaki Miyamoto Nobuo Watanabe Indonesia: The Indonesian Reef Check Coordinator Ketut Sarjana Putra did a magnificent job this year, supported by scientific advisor Jan Steffen and others, and I hope that his work serves as a model for other RC Coordinators. The complete RC included the following components: ? organising training of trainers ? carrying out surveys ? preparing a national report on the results ? holding a national press conference to announce the results ? submitting the results as a written report in the local language to the relevant government departments ? supplying the data to RC headquarters for input to the global database. In October 2000, at the Bali ICRS, there will be a post-symposium RC/GCRMN Workshop where you can meet Ketut and find out how he did this. Reef Check 1999 featured the Training of Trainers (TOT) Program in Bali from 22-24 July 1999 and involved 31 participants (selected divers) from all over Indonesia. Eight (8) participants are student/ lecturers from universities (IPB, ITB, UNDIP, UNSRAT, UNDANA, UNPATTI, UNKRIS Artha Wacana), seven (7) from government officials (Bappeda Riau, Manokwari, Teluk Cendrawasih National Park, Takabonerate National Park, Dept. of Fishery Kupang, Dept of Tourism Ngada, KSDA Riung) and sixteen (16) from NGOs. The TOT participants conducted the Reef Check activities at eight sites supported by 134 voluntary divers (Kepulauan Seribu Teluk Jakarta, Lampung, Pelabuhan Ratu, Karimun Jawa, Riung, Riau, Makasar, and Bali). The results show that coral reefs are in poor condition at 47.2% of the stations, in moderate condition at 47.2%, and the good condition is found at 5.6% of the 33 reef check stations. The most interesting figure is that the coral intactness value (Death Coral less than 15%) is high in many sites located in Bali, Takabonerate South Sulawesi and Riung Nusa Tenggara, while it is quite low in sites located in Lampung, KarimunJawa National Park, and Kepulauan Seribu National Park. Coral reef - associated fish and other biological indictors are very hard to find. Reef fish from family Chaetodontidae are low in number, while the ?targeted fish? like Napoleon wrasse, giant grouper, lobsters, and Triton are found in low number and at few sites, and their size is mostly small. Major threats identified are destructive fishing methods (cyanide and blasting), anchoring and sedimentation due to coastal development. Bleaching was also found at some sites in Bali (Menjangan island, Amed, Toya Pakeh), Karimunjawa and Pulau Seribu. The full report is available in Bahasa from Ketut, Deputy Director of Wallacea Bioregional Program, WWF Indonesia. For photos see: http://www.coral.noaa.gov/reefcheck -- Gregor Hodgson, PhD Coordinator, Reef Check Global Survey Program GPO Box 12375, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2802-6937 Fax: (852) 2887-5454 Email: gregorh at pacific.net.hk Web: www.ReefCheck.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From NickMarchesi at compuserve.com Thu Feb 10 03:44:44 2000 From: NickMarchesi at compuserve.com (Nick Marchesi) Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 03:44:44 -0500 Subject: Self-Financing Mechanisms for MPAs Message-ID: <200002100344_MC2-9889-B25D@compuserve.com> Date: 10 February 2000 Message sent to other lists as well. Sorry for cross postings. Dear Coral listers, I have been asked to support the definition of a management framework for a newly established marine reserve on the Mediterranean coasts of Northern Italy (Tirrenian sea). I am intending to suggest a well balanced set of auto-financing mechanisms for the reserve. In my mind the reserve would become a useful pilot project demonstrating the need of a change in the management perspective: from reserves as government bodies (funded almost entirely by government) towards reserves as enterprises that attribute real financial value to environmental assets. I would be grateful of any tips on relevant literature, names of scientists and/or practitioners, examples of practical application of auto-financing mechanisms for MPAs. I am aware of a couple WB publications but would like to get a better view of what is out there to make some informed choices. I will be grateful for any help you will be able to give. Please reply to my personal e-mail address (nickmarchesi at compuserve.com). With kind regards, Nick Marchesi Marine Environmental Scientist ==================================== Reply Contacts: Via Borgogna 7 20122 Milano Tel. +39 02 76394923 Fax. +39 02 77809084 e-mail : nickmarchesi at compuserve.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From jch at aoml.noaa.gov Fri Feb 11 08:04:06 2000 From: jch at aoml.noaa.gov (coral-list admin) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 13:04:06 GMT Subject: What passes through coral-list Message-ID: <200002111304.NAA27859@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Ladies & Gentlemen, This is just a reminder as to what can successfully be posted to coral-list. Messages that don't go through come to me as owner-coral-list and I make a decision as to whether a message goes through or not. If you post things correctly, and you are a subscriber, I have no say--they go through without my intervention (i.e., the list is not moderated). Unfortunately, trash mail or mail unrelated in any way whatsoever to coral research sometimes tries to get through and I kill it, with glee. What won't go through: a) Messages of greater than 40,000 characters. If you try to attach an image, every one of those bytes will count as a character. If you want to refer to a big document or images, you can cite a URL and place a link to that site in your message. If you can't get your message across in that many characters, please point to a more complete source on the Web or FTP. This is because the listserver software would bog down if big files were sent to all 1,426 of you, several times a day--at least for this ancient machine. Also, there are other lists operating on this machine. b) Messages from non-subscribers, or subscribers who are trying to post from a different email address. Sometimes your email gets changed by your System Administrator without your knowledge. Sorry about that. Majordomo is pretty robust, but not clairvoyant. c) Messages from fake email accounts. Sorry for this background noise, but I hope this helps you. Cheers, Jim Hendee coral-list administrator ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov Fri Feb 11 10:25:23 2000 From: Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov (Alan E. Strong) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 10:25:23 -0500 Subject: SSTs on the Rise - W. Australia References: <38725A22.4512D40D@nesdis.noaa.gov> Message-ID: <38A429E2.C070DF59@nesdis.noaa.gov> BLEACHING NOTE: 11 FEB 00 Bleaching off W. Australia? -- HotSpots intensify SSTs off Western Australia continue to move dramatically upward off western coastline of Australia and have moved into the vicinity of Ningaloo: http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/data/hotspotesc.gif The overview of Tropical Bleaching HotSpots can be viewed at: http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html This is the time (late summer) when temperature levels are the highest of the year. Now it is seen that SSTs have exceed the normal maximum summertime values by more than 1 degC -- hence "HotSpots" are depicted and bleaching is likely to be occurring under these warm surface conditions. Our new experimental charts that attempt to accumulate thermal stress over coral reefs can be found at: http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/icg/dhw/dhw_new.html Scientists/reef experts are encouraged to fill out our feedback forms provided at this NOAA WebSite to help us with this development and monitoring work Another region of SST increase and associated HotSpots, we are watching, continues around much of Papua New Guinea. A. E. Strong. **** <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ***** Alan E. Strong Phys Scientist/Oceanographer NOAA/NESDIS/ORA/ORAD -- E/RA3 NOAA Science Center -- RM 711W 5200 Auth Road Camp Springs, MD 20746-4304 Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov 301-763-8102 x170 FAX: 301-763-8108 http://manati.wwb.noaa.gov/orad -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Strong Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000211/12cc6100/attachment.vcf From reefkeeper at earthlink.net Fri Feb 11 10:53:35 2000 From: reefkeeper at earthlink.net (Alexander Stone) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 15:53:35 +0000 Subject: LastChanceToJoin50+GroupsForCoralReefTaskForceOversightProtection Message-ID: <38A430C7.2295@earthlink.net> ********************************** LAST CHANCE to Join Environmental Defense, National Parks Conservation Association, Ocean Futures and the 50+ Groups Listed Below Seeking Protection for Coral Reefs from Federal Agency Damaging Actions as Mandated by President Clinton PLEASE REPLY BY FEBRUARY 20TH! *********************************** Dear Friend of Coral Reefs: This is your last chance to have your organization join Reef Check, National Parks Conservation Association, ReefKeeper International, Environmental Defense (Fund), Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures, CORAL (Coral Reef Alliance), and over 50 other groups in a joint letter to the US Coral Reef Task Force requesting that it take action at its March 2nd meeting to exercise its oversight mandate to keep federal agencies from damaging coral reefs. Your sign-on NOW has the power to do the following: * stop the U.S. Military bombing of coral reefs; * prevent Army Corps of Engineers dredging from killing coral reefs; * stop the National Marine Fisheries Service from allowing the use of fishing gears that destroy acres of coral reefs; * eliminate Department of Transportation coastal road construction that smothers reefs; * stop the EPA from allowing high nutrient effluent to kill coral reefs; * and more. You can help make this happen by adding your group to the dozens of other organizations asking the President's US Coral Reef Task Force to ensure that any actions that US federal agencies authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of coral reef ecosystems. We need you to sign your group onto the enclosed endorsement letter BY FEBRUARY 20TH to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure that all Federal agencies protect coral reefs. Read on to review the endorsement letter, and to see and join the list of over 50 current endorsing groups... or scroll down to the next *****starred**** section to study the letter's background rationale. **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER BELOW BY FEBRUARY 20TH**** ******************* ENDORSEMENT LETTER ******************* (Letter Masthead) ORGANIZATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE U.S. CORAL REEF TASK FORCE OVERSIGHT **Admiralty Divers**AMERICAN LITTORAL SOCIETY**Aquatica Underwater Adventurers**Arizona ReefWatch**Asian Aquatic Adventurers**Asociacion Oceanica de Panama**Biodiversity Legal Foundation**Coastal Research & Education**Comite ProFondo Desecheo**CORAL REEF ALLIANCE (CORAL)**Cry of the Water Society**Dive Gals**Dive Maui Club**Dive Paradise Scuba Club**Dive Rota Club**Dive Training Magazine**Divers Supply Group**EcoVitality**ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE (FUND)**Fish Forever**Florida Marine Life Association**Global Coral Reef Alliance**Gulf Restoration Network**Hawaii Audubon Society**Hawaii Fishermen's Foundation**Isomer Laboratory Students Association**Jack's Diving Locker Scuba Club**Kapalua Divers**Kissimmee Pro Divers**Kohala Divers**Lost Fish Coalition**Micronesian Divers Association**Mobjack Baykeeper Program**NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION**Northwest Environmental Advocates**OCEAN FUTURES**Ocean Law & Policy Institute**Offshore Adventurers**Pacific Dive Club**Planetary Coral Reef Foundation**Pro Scuba Association**Real World Divers**REEF CHECK**REEFKEEPER INTERNATIONAL**Save Our Seas**Sea Sport Divers**Star Thrower Foundation**University of Rhode Island Scuba Club**Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service**West Hawaii ReefWatchers** Hon. Bruce Babbitt, USCRTF Co-Chair Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Hon. Robert Mallet. USCRTF Co-Chair Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dept. of Commerce - Rm 5128 14th and Constitution Ave. NW Washington, DC 20230 re: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Oversight Dear Secretary Babbitt and Deputy Secretary Mallet: We, the (number) undersigned conservation, science and diving organizations representing over (number) individuals, respectfully request that the final action plan developed by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) fulfill the USCRTF's mandate to protect U.S. coral reefs from damaging federal agency actions by: a) clearly specifying the USCRTF's role as an enforcer of Executive Order 13089, and b) including a staffed oversight process for the USCRTF to evaluate pending agency actions and prohibit those actions which would degrade coral reef ecosystems. EXECUTIVE ORDER 13089 Executive Order 13089, signed by President Clinton on June 11, 1998, established the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and its obligations to "oversee implementation of the policy and Federal agency responsibilities set forth in this order" (Section 4); [and] "develop, recommend, and seek or secure implementation of measures necessary to reduce and mitigate coral reef ecosystem degradation and to restore damaged coral reefs" (Section 5). Section 2 of the Executive Order states: "(a) All Federal agencies whose actions may affects U.S. coral reef ecosystems shall ... (b) utilize their programs and authorities to protect and enhance the conditions of such ecosystems; and (c) to the extent permitted by law, ensure that any actions they authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of such ecosystems." These two sections clearly outline the goals of the Executive Order as well as the responsibility of the Task Force to oversee the implementation of the Executive Order, including Section 2's requirement for non-degradation of coral reef ecosystems by any Federal agency actions. OVERSIGHT PROCESS In order to fulfill the obligations of the Executive Order, an oversight process must be developed to ensure that Sections 2, 4, and 5 are met. This process must include personnel with direct responsibility for this oversight. All Federal agencies should be required to designate personnel who are responsible for reviewing all agency actions for compliance with the Executive Order. In addition, the USCRTF, as the enforcer of the Executive Order, should have a staffed process for enforcing the Executive Order. This staffed process would include reviews of proposed Federal agency actions as well as a mechanism whereby the USCRTF could halt any proposed Federal agency actions that would violate the Executive Order. Only with an effective oversight process can we be assured that the intent and obligations set forth in Executive Order 13089 are met. We look forward to your support for and early response to our request. Respectfully submitted, (endorsing organizations will be listed alphabetically) **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER POSTED ABOVE**** ******************** BACKGROUND RATIONALE ******************** EXECUTIVE ORDER 13089 FOR THE PROTECTION OF CORAL REEFS Executive Order 13089 for Coral Reef Protection was signed by President Clinton on June 11, 1998. Section 2 of the Executive Order states: "(a) All Federal agencies whose actions may affect U.S. coral reef ecosystems shall ... (b) utilize their programs and authorities to protect and enhance the conditions of such ecosystems; and (c) to the extent permitted by law, ensure that any actions they authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of such ecosystems." President Clinton clearly mandated that the actions of all Federal agencies, including those actions for which the agencies issue permits, must do no harm to coral reef ecosystems. This mandate applies to a wide variety of activities such as those listed above. This Executive Order confers landmark federal protection to coral reefs. But this protection can only be realized with adequate oversight by the US Coral Reef Task Force. THE CORAL REEF TASK FORCE The Executive Order also established the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and its obligations to: "oversee implementation of the policy and Federal agency responsibilities set forth in this order" (Section 4); "develop, recommend, and seek or secure implementation of measures necessary to reduce and mitigate coral reef ecosystem degradation and to restore damaged coral reefs" (Section 5). It is clearly the responsibility and obligation of the USCRTF to ensure that the Executive Order is being met. As such, the USCRTF must act as an enforcer of the Executive Order. WHY ACT NOW? The USCRTF has prepared a draft action plan to implement the Executive Order. However, the draft action plan places the USCRTF in the role of an observer and advisor, rather than an enforcer. The USCRTF will meet again in early March to adopt a final action plan. NOW is the time to urge the USCRTF to take its responsibilities seriously and establish an oversight process whereby all actions of all Federal agencies that may impact coral reefs are reviewed and any actions that degrade coral reefs are clearly prohibited because they violate the Executive Order. HOW YOU CAN HELP If you represent a group or a dive center, please take a few short minutes to read the enclosed Endorsement Letter. Then phone, e-mail or fax us with your okay to add your group or dive center's name to the list of organizations signing the letter which requests enforcement of Executive Order 13089. We will combine it with dozens more for presentation at the USCRTF meeting on March 2nd. Thank you in advance for your help, ALEXANDER STONE President ReefKeeper International (305)358-4600 (FAX) 358-3030 Email a_stone at reefkeeper.org **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER POSTED ABOVE BY FEBRUARY 20TH**** ************************************* Join the 50+ Groups Listed Above Seeking Protection for Coral Reefs from Federal Agency Damaging Actions as Mandated by President Clinton PLEASE REPLY BY FEBRUARY 20TH! ************************************* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From hzibrowi at com.univ-mrs.fr Sat Feb 12 06:30:01 2000 From: hzibrowi at com.univ-mrs.fr (Helmut ZIBROWIUS) Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 12:30:01 +0100 Subject: no danger for reefs thanks to CITES Message-ID: There have been calls on this list to protect coral reefs in the U.S. It was said that coral reefs are endangered, i.e., by: -- U.S. Military bombing coral reefs; -- Army Corps of Engineers dredging coral reefs; -- National Marine Fisheries Service allowing the use of fishing gears that destroy coral reefs; -- Department of Transportation constructing coastal roads that smother coral reefs; -- EPA allowing high nutrient effluent to kill coral reefs; -- and more. I will try to convince you that this was a fake alert, that there can be no major problem for coral reefs in the U.S. Then I will also address coral and reef protection elsewhere in the world. No reason to worry, we have CITES! By definition coral reefs are built by corals. The whole order of Scleractinia ranging from the edge of Antarctica to Greenland and Norway, from the tidal zone to some 6000 meters depth (in 1999 a worldwide list of 1314 species has been published in Atoll Research Bulletin), is CITES protected like the panda and the rhinoceros. This 1990 breakthrough is due to the inventiveness of an international bunch of bureaucrates. The convention has notably been signed by the U.S. (contrary to the treatise against anti-personal mines). Being declared endangered species, the whole order of Scleractinia benefits of utmost attention paid by U.S. authorities to CITES regulations. Presently the only recognized danger for Scleractinia (and thereby reefs) consists in scientific research. For example, it happens that scientists pretend a need to send each other pieces of coral and tend to do this without taking into account CITES regulations. This has also been my "serious crime". To summarize, the following lines contain the confession of a repentant former eco-terrorist whose eyes for CITES issues have been opened by U.S. authorities, in this case the Administration of the respected Smithsonian Institution. The facts: Following a request received in 1993, I loaned a series of scleractinian samples to the Smithsonian without thinking of the then still widely unknown 1990 CITES regulation. When subsequently the CITES regulation was discovered at the Smithsonian Institution, my loaned coral samples have been sequestrated as illegally imported pieces of protected species. They still have not been returned to me at the beginning of the year 2000, but remain sequestrated, after having caused much trouble to collection managers, administrators, and the legal council. Given that a series of coral samples originally sent for scientific purposes have caused an affaire of such unexpected dimensions (in terms of administrative efforts and taxpayer's dollars), U.S. citizens should free themselves from whatever fears for the well being of the Florida and other coral reefs. Thanks to strictest CITES application everything is for the best. As for other parts of the world, the CITES regulation covering the order Scleractinia (as well as various other entire groups of "coral" organisms) compensates for all imaginable damage to reefs by actions as those mentioned above, human overpopulation, greenhouse effect, quarrying, landfills, nutrient rich run off into lagoons, blast and cyanide fishing, curio shops (only a minor few hundred tons per year), etc. The real danger to be strictly monitored remains coral research activities. Imagine, some guys drill a hole into big colonies, others break off a piece, others touch to obscure tiny species found by deep dredging, and others, politically most incorrect, photograph coral specimens in situ without having asked for the coral's written permission. These people would be able to annihilate biodiversity. Fortunately, thanks to CITES, there are often unsurmountable administrative barriers that prevent them from cooperating internationally. Helmut ZIBROWIUS (Centre d'Oceanologie de Marseille) Station Marine d'Endoume Rue Batterie des Lions 13007 Marseille / France E-MAIL: hzibrowi at com.univ-mrs.fr TEL: within France 0491041624 from abroad +33 491041624 FAX: within France 0491041635 from abroad +33 491041635 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From corals at CARIBE.NET Sat Feb 12 08:41:57 2000 From: corals at CARIBE.NET (CORALations) Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 09:41:57 -0400 Subject: Vieques Referendum Message-ID: <006701bf755f$34bfef40$1dc85bd1@default> Please sign on this urgent letter copied below from the Military Toxics Project to President Clinton. Regarding Vieques Coral Reefs, in a Dec. 6, 1999 letter to Government of Puerto Rico attorneys, James Porter form the University of Georgia wrote the following regarding barges full of barrels he found in the coral reef area being targeted: ....." if, 'inert' bombs or projectile shells are used anywhere in the area, even these so called 'green' munitions could become highly dangerous if they were to destroy the fragile integrity of either barrels or gas cylinders"...... M.A. Lucking CORALations.... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please email your name, organization affiliation and state or country to mtptara at ime.net. Thanks, Tara Thornton Military Toxics Project Toll free: 1-877-783-5091 ------------------------------------------------------------------ February 18, 2000 President William Jefferson Clinton 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, We, the undersigned, are writing to express our dismay with the January 31, 2000 Directive to the Secretary of Defense and the Director, Office and Management and Budget regarding use of the range facilities on Vieques, Puerto Rico. As we approach the sixth anniversary of your signing of the Executive Order on Environmental Justice (12898), we urge you to reconsider this directive. We believe that, the people of Vieques have spoken loudly and clearly, "Not one more bomb, not one more minute". They want the Navy to stop military training exercises, clean up the contamination which litters the island and the surrounding surface water, and which may be buried in the soils of the island or may be polluting its groundwater, and return the land to the people of Vieques. In fact, the Vieques Special Commission appointed by Governor Rossello and which was broadly representative of Puerto Rican society, unanimously recommended that the Navy cease and desist all activity on Vieques. The directive sets in place a referendum process, which does not permit the one option which all sectors of Vieques and Puerto Rico have urged: the immediate suspension of all military training on Vieques and the clean up of lands contaminated by military activities. At best, the directive would permit another three years of bombing with inadequate provisions for clean up. The Navy would resume training and continue at least until May 2003. The directive calls for cleanup of the eastern side of Vieques consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) except for the Live Impact Area, which will be swept for ordnance and fenced off. Under CERCLA, there is a careful process, which includes public participation, environmental studies, remedial investigations etc. to determine the best possible clean up option. The final remedy is then chosen in a Record of Decision (ROD). Any remediation of the impact area as well as the rest of the facility is subject to regulation by environmental regulatory authorities under existing environmental statutes. This directive supersedes the congressionally mandated process and therefore, we question its legality. The impact area is written off with no attempt whatsoever to evaluate the prospect of clearing it of unexploded ordnance and with no discussion of the reliability of using fences alone as the sole long-term means of keeping people from being injured or killed by the ordnance. The directive invokes the "Weymouth" standard for removal of ordnance and other contaminants, in an apparent reference to the naval Air Station at South Weymouth, Massachusetts. This facility included an island known as "No Man's Land" which is uninhabited, and which even fishermen do not approach as a result of ordnance contamination. Moreover, the final level of clean up has not yet been determined and is a matter of conflict between the Navy and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This standard is unacceptable for Vieques, which relies heavily on fishing and tourism for its economic well being. We recommend the standard adopted for the impact area at Camp Edwards on Cape Cod Massachusetts as being appropriate. The directive states, 'In the event the people of Vieques decide to allow the military to continue training, OMB will request Congressional funding for enhancement of infrastructure and housing on the Western portions of Vieques in the amount of 50 million dollars'. Such funds, which face un certainty at best in the Congress, are inadequate to address the environmental and health impacts of the Navy's activities on Vieques, and would not address the fundamental ways in which military training on Vieques has prevented economic development for the benefit of the island's people. While the Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has already initiated a health assessment, we have little confidence it will address the health problems of Vieques residents resulting from military activities. For small populations, such as that of Vieques, the kinds of epidemiological studies that ATSDR typically uses are inappropriate and inconclusive. Often, ATSDR studies have been used inappropriately as a tool to allay community concerns without disclosing the limitations of the studies. Instead of protecting the public, ATSDR studies have been used as public reassurances. We recommend that the Department of Defense bear the cost of a health study of Vieques residents undertaken by independent experts selected by residents of the local community. Your directive calls for the implementation of management plans from a memorandum of understanding that is 17 years old. Given the Navy's record of deception and noncompliance with Commonwealth and federal laws in Vieques, why should the citizens of Vieques trust this directive? There are no mechanisms in place to enforce it, and the Navy's record in Vieques has destroyed public faith in its promises regarding the range. Finally, it is unrealistic to expect that land on the western side of the island could be transferred by December 31, 2000. This allows just 9 months for clean up and restoration consistent with CERCLA standards. We request that Attorney General Janet Reno rule on the legality of all parts of this directive, particularly the question of superseding CERCLA legislation by Presidential directive. We urge Ms. Reno not to use the resources of the Justice Department to f orcibly remove the peaceful demonstrators from the impact area on Vieques. We believe that this is not legitimate use of power of our government and that it entails the possibility of extreme harm to both demonstrators and law enforcement officers. We urge you, Mr. President to reverse this directive, give back the island to the citizens of Vieques and ensure an environmental clean up that guarantees public participation and is protective of human health, culture and the environment. Sincerely, Tara Thornton Military Toxic Project Maine John Lindsey-Polland Fellowship of Reconciliation California Joel Feigenbaum Upper Cape Concerned Citizens Massachusetts Pat Tummons Environment Hawaii Hawaii Richard Hugus Otis Conversion Project Massachusetts Walter Stochel, Jr. New Jersey Paul Zanis Alliance for Base Cleanup Massachusetts Susan Ravitz The LEPOCO Peace Center Pennsylvania Mary Ann Lucking CORALations Puerto Rico ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From mcall at superaje.com Sat Feb 12 09:18:02 2000 From: mcall at superaje.com (Don McAllister) Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 09:18:02 -0500 Subject: [Fwd: no danger for reefs thanks to CITES] References: <38A5683F.75F1259D@superaje.com> Message-ID: <38A56B9A.84F0DCA5@superaje.com> > Then I will also address coral > and reef protection elsewhere in the world. No reason to worry, we have > CITES! > Helmut has a point in his pointed message! Major causes of coral reef losses are climate warming, eutrophication, and sedimenation plus others Helmut mentions in the tropics and mobile fishing gear in cooler areas of the globe. Secondly CITES regulations can be a pain to research, and to work devoted to coral reef conservation - I can remember just barely making a deadline for an important report on a reef threatened by an airport development because of the CITES paperwork needed to get the corals out of one country, into my own, and then into a third where a qualified identification expert was located. That being said, the collection of corals as souvenirs can be a threat in some areas. 100 million visitors arrive in the Caribbean each year. If only a small percentage of them took souvenirs, that could lead to removal of a lot of coral from popular tourists sites were it not for CITES regulations which discourage such souvenir taking. Of course it might be argued that tourist trampling, untreated domestic wastes from tourist facilities, etc. cause just as much if not more destruction. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From firefish at sltnet.lk Mon Feb 14 08:31:03 2000 From: firefish at sltnet.lk (firefish at sltnet.lk) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 07:31:03 -0600 (GMT) Subject: Fwd: no danger for reefs thanks to CITES Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.20000214072724.124f0180@sltnet.lk> As far as I am aware the species listed under Appendix 1. of CITES is Banned from "COMMERCIAL" exploitation, and Appendix 2. is allowed limited commercial exploitation. But all species in both lists are allowed to be shipped under permit for Research purposes. Granted this causes some hassle to the Scientist in securing permits etc. But if the research is a "Legitimate" one I would not believe that it is all that difficult to convince local authorities in getting the necessary clearance. (And I hope we would bear it up in the name of the greater good of the reef from souvenir taking and un-regulated export.) One need to keep perspective on the issue, the law was not drafted to control the reef scientists. but the growing threat of commercial exploitation. both as bulk. and for Bio-tech research (which has raised some concerns among countries of origin about Intellectual property rights etc.) I just hope as scientists and workers concerned with the sustainability and survival of the reefs in general we would go that extra distance to get the necessary authorizations for the sake of reefs. The effort to undermine the threat posed by the export oriented extraction pressure on reefs by pointing at all sorts of other reef degrading practices is like saying that we need not regulate road traffic to reduce traffic accidents because all sorts of other causes like Heart diseases, cancer, Aids and a host of other things kill people regularly. I would not say that extraction IS the biggest cause of reef degradation. but coming from a third world country and working on the local reefs regularly the reality of the export trade on the target reef communities leave no doubt on our mind of the impact of it. Prasanna Weerakkody Nature Conservation Group (Natcog) No.9, Balapokuna place, Colombo 6. Sri Lanka Phone: (941) 856041 E-mail: firefish at sltnet.lk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Piers.Larcombe at jcu.edu.au Mon Feb 14 00:04:28 2000 From: Piers.Larcombe at jcu.edu.au (Piers Larcombe) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 15:04:28 +1000 (EST) Subject: Coral reefs in turbid waters - ICRS, Bali, Oct. 2000. Message-ID: Hi coral listers, At the forthcoming International Coral Reef Symposium CRS in Bali, there will be a mini-symposium of coral reefs in turbid waters. The brief for the mini-symposium is below. I'd be grateful to hear from you if you are interested in contributing to this session. I'd also appreciate if you brought it to the attention of any colleagues you think might be interested. If you're not sure whether your work might fit in this mini-symposium, please ask. Email me at: piers.larcombe at jcu.edu.au Many thanks, Piers -------------------------------------------------------- Dr Piers Larcombe ARC Australian Research Fellow piers.larcombe at jcu.edu.au Tel. +61 7 47815056 Fax. +61 7 47251501 http://www.es.jcu.edu.au/ http://www.es.jcu.edu.au/dept/Earth/people/Larcombe.html Marine Geophysical Laboratory, School of Earth Sciences James Cook University, Townsville, 4811 Australia -------------------------------------------------------- Coral reefs in turbid environments: geological and ecological significance Dr Piers Larcombe Marine Geophysical Laboratory, School of Earth Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia This symposium aims to bring together a broad range of researchers working on coral reefs in turbid waters, in order to obtain an integrated picture of the geological and ecological significance of such systems. Turbidity at coral reefs may have an external source (eg. river outflow) or may be generated in-situ (eg. resuspension) and may be highly variable in space and time. Reefs in nearshore environments are generally those subject to the greatest variation in many physical environmental parameters (eg. waves, turbidity) and are most related to coastal point or line-sources of runoff and associated dissolved and particulate matter. Studies which document the oceanographic and sediment transport regimes at reefs in nearshore and other turbid environments are of particular value. The persistence of coral reefs is ultimately dependent upon the ability of individual colonies to survive, so shorter timescale studies are also important. In terms of coral physiology, durations of a few hours are perhaps the most relevant, because longer exposure to environmental factors such as high turbidity and sedimentation may induce critical stresses. A particularly pressing issue is thus to document the physiological response of corals to oceanographic and sedimentary processes in field situations. Many modern reefs survive in close association with fine sediments and turbid water, and the geological record provides many examples where coral reef deposits are closely associated with fine-grained sedimentary rocks. Whilst a good first-order understanding of the controls of reef evolution exists, the key attributes which can be used as indicators of present and ancient environmental changes at reefs require further study. Knowledge is particularly required at timescales of centuries to millennia, related to sea-level changes and the vertical and lateral migration of coral reefs and associated sediments on continental shelves. Thus, papers are particularly invited on, but not restricted to: Oceanography Sediment transport and accumulation Sedimentary setting Species assemblages Coral physiology Geological evolution Geological and ecological significance Papers reporting on field studies are particularly welcome, but laboratory studies which cast light on these systems are also invited. END ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From h.sweatman at aims.gov.au Mon Feb 14 01:34:48 2000 From: h.sweatman at aims.gov.au (Hugh Sweatman) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 16:34:48 +1000 Subject: Bleaching and the GBR [slight return] Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000214163448.007df7c0@email.aims.gov.au> Harking back to the correspondence about a month ago concerning the Reuter's/PlanetArk posting on coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef, the first results of the AIMS Long Term Monitoring Program's assessment of the broadscale effects of the 1998 bleaching can now be seen at: http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/coral-bleaching/Broadscale-bleaching/b eb-01.html (or look up bleaching in the Topics Index) The AIMS program surveys 47 reefs once a year at about the same time each year. For a valid comparison estimates of hard coral cover from 1997 surveys [well before bleaching] were compared with those from 1999 surveys [well after bleaching]. The figure shows total living coral cover for the survey sites on reefs, arranged by latitude and position across the GBR lagoon [inshore to offshore]. Study areas on most survey reefs showed an increase in hard coral cover over the period. These estimates are from video transects (methods are described elsewhere on the AIMS webpage); the important point in this context is that the study sites are generally at 6-9 m depth [not on reef crests]. Reefs that showed a net loss of hard coral are mid-shelf reefs in the Cooktown/ Lizard Is sector, inner reefs in the Cairns and Townsville sectors and some reefs in the Swains sector. The Cooktown / Lizard Is reefs and the Swains reefs are known to have populations of the crown-of-thorns starfish which eats corals. The implication is that, of the reefs that are surveyed, only inner reefs in the Cairns and Townsville sectors were badly affected by the bleaching. While the program's coverage of nearshore reefs is not very extensive and inshore reefs in other sectors may have been affected, the important point is that less shallow areas of much of the GBR were NOT devastated. Total cover of live coral is a very simple measure: corals clearly differ in their susceptibility to bleaching, so the composition of assemblages may have changed even though the total cover has not decreased. Graphical checks do not show gross patterns with the taxonomic resolution that is possible with U/W video, but we have not applied heavy-duty statistical procedures yet. Finally, to reiterate the point made by Terry Done in this forum, this is a measure of what HAS happened on the GBR; Ove Hoegh-Gulberg's recent paper concerns what MIGHT happen - the Australian media often fail to make that distinction. However, most predictions are dire and constant vigilance is required to follow developments - the AIMS program is part of that. Hugh Sweatman Long Term Monitoring Program, Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB3 Townsville MC, Qld 4810 Australia ph: (07) 4753 4470 / +61 7 4753 4470 [GMT +10] faxes: (07) 4753 4288 / 4772 5852 h.sweatman at aims.gov.au web: http//www.aims.gov.au/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From warrior at bu.edu Mon Feb 14 03:00:29 2000 From: warrior at bu.edu (Jamie D. Bechtel) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 03:00:29 Subject: abuse of scientific permits In-Reply-To: <1.5.4.16.20000214072724.124f0180@sltnet.lk> Message-ID: <3.0.1.16.20000214030029.1937fa94@acs-mail.bu.edu> I wanted to address the issue of scientific permits as an exception to international treaties through the classic example of Japan and the international moratorium on whaling as implemented by the IWC. In 1996, the Institute of Ceteaceous Research [of Japan] harvested about 965 whales under a scientific permit clause. The institute received over 35 million dollars for the sale of whale meat. Regarding scientific permits and CITES, the national authority may choose to waive permit requirements for species used in scientific research or for travelling zoos, circus, or exhibition. The authority in the US is US Fish and Wildlife Service. However, I hasten to point out that our system here is not without abuse. The Smithsonian has been under fire recently for accepting a large cash donation from a wealthy big game hunter, and subsequently allowing the import of rare game that the same donor has hunted and killed. These "trophies", many of which are endangered species, are legally imported under the science permit and are to be displayed in the new wing at the museum. A gross abuse of permitting under the auspice of science. These examples speak for themselves. CITES (note: circa 1973) is one of the most powerful weapons we have. if not for its primia facia strength, then for the fact that it is a globally accepted document indicating that the protection of endangered species is held as a priority for a vast majority of the states. globally we agree on almost nothing. in perspective, the widespread acceptance of CITES by the world's governments, borders on a miracle...enforcement is another issue. because of this global acceptance, CITES provides leverage in the supreme courts throughout the world. often times, the strength of an international treaty comes in the ability of a court to find based on the intent of federal lawmakers and global acceptance (common law). For what it is worth, CITES is the foundational authority to our endangered species act. without the former we would likely not have the latter. realizing i am likely to come under rapid fire for the following thought...i think it is essential for us to recognize that we are not alone in our battle, and question before criticism may benefit the cause. cheers, jamie _________________________________________________________________ Jamie D. Bechtel Boston University Boston College Law School Department of Biology 885 Centre Street 5 Cummington Street Newton, MA 02159 Boston, MA 02215 bechtelj at bc.edu (617)353-6969 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From Bill.Millhouser at noaa.gov Mon Feb 14 18:30:36 2000 From: Bill.Millhouser at noaa.gov (Bill Millhouser) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 18:30:36 -0500 Subject: New coral-related position in NOAA Message-ID: <38A8901B.B72AB1D5@noaa.gov> The position in NOAA's Coastal Programs Division Office in Washington D.C.,described below, is now open; the position is our liaison with the CZM programs in the Marianas, Guam, and American Samoa. Much of the work will include coral reef management issues and related topics such polluted runoff management. If you have a questions, please contact me. thanks, Bill Millhouser http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/wfjic/jobs/BP2393.HTM -- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bill Millhouser, Pacific Regional Manager Coastal Programs Division, OCRM, NOAA N/ORM-3, Room 11206 1305 East-West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Ph: 301-713-3121 X189 Fax: 301-713-4367 Mobile: 703-623-9909 E-Mail: bill.millhouser at noaa.gov http://www.nos.noaa.gov/ocrm/czm/welcome.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From rgrigg at iniki.soest.hawaii.edu Tue Feb 15 07:42:37 2000 From: rgrigg at iniki.soest.hawaii.edu (Rick Grigg) Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 12:42:37 GMT Subject: Bleaching and the GBR [slight return] Message-ID: <200002151242.MAA59775@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Dear Hugh, Congratulations on a nice study and the straight talk regarding the effects of bleaching, recovery, and the GBR in general. While the distinction between what IS and what MIGHT BE is important, so are reality checks such as yours. Rick Grigg, Univ. of Hawaii At 04:34 PM 2/14/00 +1000, Hugh Sweatman wrote: >Harking back to the correspondence about a month ago concerning the >Reuter's/PlanetArk posting on coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef, >the first results of the AIMS Long Term Monitoring Program's assessment of >the broadscale effects of the 1998 bleaching can now be seen at: > >http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/coral-bleaching/Broadscale-bleaching/b >eb-01.html > >(or look up bleaching in the Topics Index) > >The AIMS program surveys 47 reefs once a year at about the same time each >year. For a valid comparison estimates of hard coral cover from 1997 >surveys [well before bleaching] were compared with those from 1999 surveys >[well after bleaching]. The figure shows total living coral cover for the >survey sites on reefs, arranged by latitude and position across the GBR >lagoon [inshore to offshore]. Study areas on most survey reefs showed an >increase in hard coral cover over the period. These estimates are from >video transects (methods are described elsewhere on the AIMS webpage); the >important point in this context is that the study sites are generally at >6-9 m depth [not on reef crests]. > >Reefs that showed a net loss of hard coral are mid-shelf reefs in the >Cooktown/ Lizard Is sector, inner reefs in the Cairns and Townsville >sectors and some reefs in the Swains sector. The Cooktown / Lizard Is >reefs and the Swains reefs are known to have populations of the >crown-of-thorns starfish which eats corals. The implication is that, of >the reefs that are surveyed, only inner reefs in the Cairns and Townsville >sectors were badly affected by the bleaching. > >While the program's coverage of nearshore reefs is not very extensive and >inshore reefs in other sectors may have been affected, the important point >is that less shallow areas of much of the GBR were NOT devastated. > >Total cover of live coral is a very simple measure: corals clearly differ >in their susceptibility to bleaching, so the composition of assemblages may >have changed even though the total cover has not decreased. Graphical >checks do not show gross patterns with the taxonomic resolution that is >possible with U/W video, but we have not applied heavy-duty statistical >procedures yet. > >Finally, to reiterate the point made by Terry Done in this forum, this is a >measure of what HAS happened on the GBR; Ove Hoegh-Gulberg's recent paper >concerns what MIGHT happen - the Australian media often fail to make that >distinction. However, most predictions are dire and constant vigilance is >required to follow developments - the AIMS program is part of that. > > >Hugh Sweatman >Long Term Monitoring Program, >Australian Institute of Marine Science, >PMB3 Townsville MC, Qld 4810 >Australia >ph: (07) 4753 4470 / +61 7 4753 4470 [GMT +10] >faxes: (07) 4753 4288 / 4772 5852 >h.sweatman at aims.gov.au web: http//www.aims.gov.au/ >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) >sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program >(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site >for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) >sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program >(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site >for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From jch at aoml.noaa.gov Tue Feb 15 08:07:22 2000 From: jch at aoml.noaa.gov (coral-list admin) Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 13:07:22 GMT Subject: duplicate messages Message-ID: <200002151307.NAA60121@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> I have noticed that there are duplicate messages for some of the coral-list messages being circulated. I do not know why this is happening for selected messages only, but I can tell you we are having a problem with our laboratory's sendmail configuration, through which all coral-list mail travels, so maybe that is the problem. There are other problems, too, concerning coral-list-digest. I have been assured by our laboratory Chief Information Officer that he is looking into the problem, and I apologize for any inconvenience. Cheers, Jim Hendee From jware at erols.com Mon Feb 14 08:04:03 2000 From: jware at erols.com (John Ware) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 08:04:03 -0500 Subject: Trade in corals. Message-ID: <38A7FD43.C7FC52A1@erols.com> Dear List: Some years ago, after having been told all sorts of conflicting stories concerning rules, regulations, and laws concerning the importation of corals and coral products [e.g., Importation is permitted if the coral has been 'worked' into jewelry, or importation is permitted for 'personal use'], I decided to contact the source of knowledge. Under the presumption that the authority for enforcing whatever regulations there may be lay with the US Customs Service, I made numerous phone calls to the Service and talked to countless people. The net result was frustration. I was handed from person to person, none of whom had the slightest notion as to whether there were any rules regarding corals or not, or even who I should contact as the proper authority. While other agencies may set the rules or have some sort of authority with regard to enforcement, the fact that Customs, which is the front line in enforcement, is working from a position of ignorance would seem to mitigate whatever regulations are or may be in existence. In addition, it would appear that any exploitation rule that was species specific would require enforcement by personnel trained in identification of coral species from skeletal remains. A daunting task even for experts, particularly if the skeleton has been altered. 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 -- ************************************************************* * * * John R. Ware, PhD * * President * * SeaServices, Inc. * * 19572 Club House Road * * Montgomery Village, MD, 20886 * * 301 987-8507 * * jware at erols.com * * fax: 301 987-8531 * * _ * * | * * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * _|_ * * | _ | * * _______________________________| |________ * * |\/__ Undersea Technology for the 21st Century \ * * |/\____________________________________________/ * ************************************************************** From lesk at bio.bu.edu Tue Feb 15 10:56:22 2000 From: lesk at bio.bu.edu (Les Kaufman) Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 10:56:22 -0500 Subject: Trade in corals. In-Reply-To: <38A7FD43.C7FC52A1@erols.com> Message-ID: I suggest that if Customs does not feel prepared to deal with CITES issues, that the ICRS (i.e., us, though I still owe dues) help them. From mcall at superaje.com Tue Feb 15 12:55:49 2000 From: mcall at superaje.com (Don McAllister) Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 12:55:49 -0500 Subject: Trade in corals. References: <38A7FD43.C7FC52A1@erols.com> Message-ID: <38A99325.6B57E1AC@superaje.com> > > 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 deber? ser enviada a/ La correspondance devrait ?tre adress?e ?: 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/g?n?ral) 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, dir?jase a la Autoridad Administrativa/Organe de gestion ? contacter en cas de saisie de sp?cimens vivants See 1 above/ Ve?se 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 From oveh at uq.edu.au Tue Feb 15 11:42:24 2000 From: oveh at uq.edu.au (Ove Hoegh-Guldberg) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 03:42:24 +1100 Subject: Bleaching and the GBR [slight return] In-Reply-To: <200002151242.MAA59775@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Message-ID: <000301bf77d3$a3bc61a0$7d6e6682@cc.uq.edu.au> Agreed - only I would differ with the sentiment of this being a case of a need for a "reality check". The distinction between the two is critical if we are to understand the changes (if real or not). Studies that examine what is happening today on reefs and those that try to project forward (with input from the appropriate specialists - climatologists etc.) are two different but equally important parts of the same problem. Not surprisingly, it is media not the scientists that require the reality checks. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, University of Queensland -----Original Message----- From: owner-coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:owner-coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Rick Grigg Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2000 11:43 PM To: Hugh Sweatman; coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov Subject: Re: Bleaching and the GBR [slight return] Dear Hugh, Congratulations on a nice study and the straight talk regarding the effects of bleaching, recovery, and the GBR in general. While the distinction between what IS and what MIGHT BE is important, so are reality checks such as yours. Rick Grigg, Univ. of Hawaii At 04:34 PM 2/14/00 +1000, Hugh Sweatman wrote: >Harking back to the correspondence about a month ago concerning the >Reuter's/PlanetArk posting on coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef, >the first results of the AIMS Long Term Monitoring Program's assessment of >the broadscale effects of the 1998 bleaching can now be seen at: > >http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/coral-bleaching/Broadscale-bleaching/ b >eb-01.html > >(or look up bleaching in the Topics Index) > >The AIMS program surveys 47 reefs once a year at about the same time each >year. For a valid comparison estimates of hard coral cover from 1997 >surveys [well before bleaching] were compared with those from 1999 surveys >[well after bleaching]. The figure shows total living coral cover for the >survey sites on reefs, arranged by latitude and position across the GBR >lagoon [inshore to offshore]. Study areas on most survey reefs showed an >increase in hard coral cover over the period. These estimates are from >video transects (methods are described elsewhere on the AIMS webpage); the >important point in this context is that the study sites are generally at >6-9 m depth [not on reef crests]. > >Reefs that showed a net loss of hard coral are mid-shelf reefs in the >Cooktown/ Lizard Is sector, inner reefs in the Cairns and Townsville >sectors and some reefs in the Swains sector. The Cooktown / Lizard Is >reefs and the Swains reefs are known to have populations of the >crown-of-thorns starfish which eats corals. The implication is that, of >the reefs that are surveyed, only inner reefs in the Cairns and Townsville >sectors were badly affected by the bleaching. > >While the program's coverage of nearshore reefs is not very extensive and >inshore reefs in other sectors may have been affected, the important point >is that less shallow areas of much of the GBR were NOT devastated. > >Total cover of live coral is a very simple measure: corals clearly differ >in their susceptibility to bleaching, so the composition of assemblages may >have changed even though the total cover has not decreased. Graphical >checks do not show gross patterns with the taxonomic resolution that is >possible with U/W video, but we have not applied heavy-duty statistical >procedures yet. > >Finally, to reiterate the point made by Terry Done in this forum, this is a >measure of what HAS happened on the GBR; Ove Hoegh-Gulberg's recent paper >concerns what MIGHT happen - the Australian media often fail to make that >distinction. However, most predictions are dire and constant vigilance is >required to follow developments - the AIMS program is part of that. > > >Hugh Sweatman >Long Term Monitoring Program, >Australian Institute of Marine Science, >PMB3 Townsville MC, Qld 4810 >Australia >ph: (07) 4753 4470 / +61 7 4753 4470 [GMT +10] >faxes: (07) 4753 4288 / 4772 5852 >h.sweatman at aims.gov.au web: http//www.aims.gov.au/ >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) >sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program >(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site >for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) >sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program >(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site >for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From kdm at bonairelive.com Wed Feb 16 11:16:16 2000 From: kdm at bonairelive.com (Kalli De Meyer) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 08:16:16 -0800 Subject: CITES stuff Message-ID: <200002161216.IAA13578@ns1.carats.net> Whilst I can well understand the frustration of scientists working in coral reef environments over the inconvenience of having to deal with CITES documentation every time they wish to move corals between countries I think we should not loose sight of some other important issues. >From my perspective, as a resource manager, CITES does two things in addition to making reef scientists' life a misery: The pressure to allow "some" export in corals for souvenir items, aquaria, or whatever can be great. This is particularly true when small (poor) countries have to deal with commercial (rich) enterpreneurs. CITES really helps protect coral reefs from export driven extraction as it can now be made almightily difficult for individuals or companies to legally transport the corals and because, thankfully, Customs officials in Europe and the USA really do try to enforce these regulations. Secondly, and to my mind even more importantly, the educational aspect should not be overlooked. Anyone moving their household between countries has to be aware of CITES these days. Every tourist buying souvenirs. Even kids wanting to take just "one coral" home for a school project have to recogn with CITES. Their inevitable first question is always WHY is it being made so difficult. The value of this learning lesson is to my mind incalculable if our aim is truly to protect coral reefs for the future. Sorry scientists ! Kalli De Meyer Manager. Bonaire Marine Park From fazr at biologia.univalle.edu.co Wed Feb 16 11:25:27 2000 From: fazr at biologia.univalle.edu.co (Fernando A. Zapata) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 11:25:27 -0500 Subject: CITES stuff References: <200002161216.IAA13578@ns1.carats.net> Message-ID: <38AACF76.9B794ACE@biologia.univalle.edu.co> Please correct me if I'm wrong, but paradoxically it was thanks to science and scientists that conservation of species and habitats became an important issue. It is a shame that laws and regulations such as CITES are now preventing scientists from doing their work, or at least making it really difficult. I know of at least two instances (one in which I was directly involved) of international scientific cooperation completely halted because of CITES. What's worse, at least in my country, while we scientists try to do things correctly (and therefore go through the hassle of resquesting permits) almost any one can just go and collect anything without asking anyone for permits for whatever non-scientific use. And nothing happens. So something must be really wrong here. Fernando Zapata Kalli De Meyer escribi?: > Whilst I can well understand the frustration of scientists working in > coral reef environments over the inconvenience of having to deal with > CITES documentation every time they wish to move corals between > countries > I think we should not loose sight of some other important issues. > > >From my perspective, as a resource manager, CITES does two > things in addition to making reef scientists' life a misery: > > The pressure to allow "some" export in corals for souvenir items, > aquaria, or whatever can be great. This is particularly true when > small (poor) countries have to deal with commercial (rich) > enterpreneurs. CITES really helps protect coral reefs from export > driven extraction as it can now be made almightily difficult for > individuals or companies to legally transport the corals and > because, thankfully, Customs officials in Europe and the USA > really do try to enforce these regulations. > > Secondly, and to my mind even more importantly, the educational > aspect should not be overlooked. Anyone moving their household > between countries has to be aware of CITES these days. Every > tourist buying souvenirs. Even kids wanting to take just "one coral" > home for a school project have to recogn with CITES. Their > inevitable first question is always WHY is it being made so difficult. > The value of this learning lesson is to my mind incalculable if our > aim is truly to protect coral reefs for the future. > > Sorry scientists ! > > Kalli De Meyer > Manager. Bonaire Marine Park -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fernando A. Zapata Departamento de Biologia Universidad del Valle Apartado Aereo 25360 Cali, Colombia Ph.(+57-2) 321-2171/339-3243 Fax. (+57-2) 339-2440 E-Mail:fazr at biologia.univalle.edu.co ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From picoczml at cozumel.com.mx Wed Feb 16 20:04:05 2000 From: picoczml at cozumel.com.mx (picoczml at cozumel.com.mx) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 17:04:05 -0800 Subject: Another Accident... Message-ID: <3.0.32.20000216170053.0077cf9c@cozumel.com.mx> On February 13th the cruisser boat "Carousel Nassau"of Liberian flag,while sailing off Calica,in the main land across the channel from Cozumel island, hit the bottom and one of its propellers perforated one of its fel tanks releasing an undetermined amount of this fuel (Some sources mention 50 tons)in the area that is part of the great Mesoamerican reef system...Acording to the authorities this accident don't affected the area at all, but anyway the ownews will be fined...How many of you believe the area will no be afected by this accident?,Saludos and best wishes, Jose M. Castello P. O. Box 402 Cozumel, Q. Roo, Mexico 77600 Phone (987)2-37-07 From Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov Fri Feb 11 10:25:23 2000 From: Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov (Alan E. Strong) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 10:25:23 -0500 Subject: SSTs on the Rise - W. Australia References: <38725A22.4512D40D@nesdis.noaa.gov> Message-ID: <38A429E2.C070DF59@nesdis.noaa.gov> BLEACHING NOTE: 11 FEB 00 Bleaching off W. Australia? -- HotSpots intensify SSTs off Western Australia continue to move dramatically upward off western coastline of Australia and have moved into the vicinity of Ningaloo: http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/data/hotspotesc.gif The overview of Tropical Bleaching HotSpots can be viewed at: http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html This is the time (late summer) when temperature levels are the highest of the year. Now it is seen that SSTs have exceed the normal maximum summertime values by more than 1 degC -- hence "HotSpots" are depicted and bleaching is likely to be occurring under these warm surface conditions. Our new experimental charts that attempt to accumulate thermal stress over coral reefs can be found at: http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/icg/dhw/dhw_new.html Scientists/reef experts are encouraged to fill out our feedback forms provided at this NOAA WebSite to help us with this development and monitoring work Another region of SST increase and associated HotSpots, we are watching, continues around much of Papua New Guinea. A. E. Strong. **** <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ***** Alan E. Strong Phys Scientist/Oceanographer NOAA/NESDIS/ORA/ORAD -- E/RA3 NOAA Science Center -- RM 711W 5200 Auth Road Camp Springs, MD 20746-4304 Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov 301-763-8102 x170 FAX: 301-763-8108 http://manati.wwb.noaa.gov/orad -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Strong Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000211/12cc6100/attachment-0001.vcf From reefkeeper at earthlink.net Fri Feb 11 10:53:35 2000 From: reefkeeper at earthlink.net (Alexander Stone) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 15:53:35 +0000 Subject: LastChanceToJoin50+GroupsForCoralReefTaskForceOversightProtection Message-ID: <38A430C7.2295@earthlink.net> ********************************** LAST CHANCE to Join Environmental Defense, National Parks Conservation Association, Ocean Futures and the 50+ Groups Listed Below Seeking Protection for Coral Reefs from Federal Agency Damaging Actions as Mandated by President Clinton PLEASE REPLY BY FEBRUARY 20TH! *********************************** Dear Friend of Coral Reefs: This is your last chance to have your organization join Reef Check, National Parks Conservation Association, ReefKeeper International, Environmental Defense (Fund), Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures, CORAL (Coral Reef Alliance), and over 50 other groups in a joint letter to the US Coral Reef Task Force requesting that it take action at its March 2nd meeting to exercise its oversight mandate to keep federal agencies from damaging coral reefs. Your sign-on NOW has the power to do the following: * stop the U.S. Military bombing of coral reefs; * prevent Army Corps of Engineers dredging from killing coral reefs; * stop the National Marine Fisheries Service from allowing the use of fishing gears that destroy acres of coral reefs; * eliminate Department of Transportation coastal road construction that smothers reefs; * stop the EPA from allowing high nutrient effluent to kill coral reefs; * and more. You can help make this happen by adding your group to the dozens of other organizations asking the President's US Coral Reef Task Force to ensure that any actions that US federal agencies authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of coral reef ecosystems. We need you to sign your group onto the enclosed endorsement letter BY FEBRUARY 20TH to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure that all Federal agencies protect coral reefs. Read on to review the endorsement letter, and to see and join the list of over 50 current endorsing groups... or scroll down to the next *****starred**** section to study the letter's background rationale. **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER BELOW BY FEBRUARY 20TH**** ******************* ENDORSEMENT LETTER ******************* (Letter Masthead) ORGANIZATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE U.S. CORAL REEF TASK FORCE OVERSIGHT **Admiralty Divers**AMERICAN LITTORAL SOCIETY**Aquatica Underwater Adventurers**Arizona ReefWatch**Asian Aquatic Adventurers**Asociacion Oceanica de Panama**Biodiversity Legal Foundation**Coastal Research & Education**Comite ProFondo Desecheo**CORAL REEF ALLIANCE (CORAL)**Cry of the Water Society**Dive Gals**Dive Maui Club**Dive Paradise Scuba Club**Dive Rota Club**Dive Training Magazine**Divers Supply Group**EcoVitality**ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE (FUND)**Fish Forever**Florida Marine Life Association**Global Coral Reef Alliance**Gulf Restoration Network**Hawaii Audubon Society**Hawaii Fishermen's Foundation**Isomer Laboratory Students Association**Jack's Diving Locker Scuba Club**Kapalua Divers**Kissimmee Pro Divers**Kohala Divers**Lost Fish Coalition**Micronesian Divers Association**Mobjack Baykeeper Program**NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION**Northwest Environmental Advocates**OCEAN FUTURES**Ocean Law & Policy Institute**Offshore Adventurers**Pacific Dive Club**Planetary Coral Reef Foundation**Pro Scuba Association**Real World Divers**REEF CHECK**REEFKEEPER INTERNATIONAL**Save Our Seas**Sea Sport Divers**Star Thrower Foundation**University of Rhode Island Scuba Club**Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service**West Hawaii ReefWatchers** Hon. Bruce Babbitt, USCRTF Co-Chair Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Hon. Robert Mallet. USCRTF Co-Chair Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dept. of Commerce - Rm 5128 14th and Constitution Ave. NW Washington, DC 20230 re: U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Oversight Dear Secretary Babbitt and Deputy Secretary Mallet: We, the (number) undersigned conservation, science and diving organizations representing over (number) individuals, respectfully request that the final action plan developed by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) fulfill the USCRTF's mandate to protect U.S. coral reefs from damaging federal agency actions by: a) clearly specifying the USCRTF's role as an enforcer of Executive Order 13089, and b) including a staffed oversight process for the USCRTF to evaluate pending agency actions and prohibit those actions which would degrade coral reef ecosystems. EXECUTIVE ORDER 13089 Executive Order 13089, signed by President Clinton on June 11, 1998, established the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and its obligations to "oversee implementation of the policy and Federal agency responsibilities set forth in this order" (Section 4); [and] "develop, recommend, and seek or secure implementation of measures necessary to reduce and mitigate coral reef ecosystem degradation and to restore damaged coral reefs" (Section 5). Section 2 of the Executive Order states: "(a) All Federal agencies whose actions may affects U.S. coral reef ecosystems shall ... (b) utilize their programs and authorities to protect and enhance the conditions of such ecosystems; and (c) to the extent permitted by law, ensure that any actions they authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of such ecosystems." These two sections clearly outline the goals of the Executive Order as well as the responsibility of the Task Force to oversee the implementation of the Executive Order, including Section 2's requirement for non-degradation of coral reef ecosystems by any Federal agency actions. OVERSIGHT PROCESS In order to fulfill the obligations of the Executive Order, an oversight process must be developed to ensure that Sections 2, 4, and 5 are met. This process must include personnel with direct responsibility for this oversight. All Federal agencies should be required to designate personnel who are responsible for reviewing all agency actions for compliance with the Executive Order. In addition, the USCRTF, as the enforcer of the Executive Order, should have a staffed process for enforcing the Executive Order. This staffed process would include reviews of proposed Federal agency actions as well as a mechanism whereby the USCRTF could halt any proposed Federal agency actions that would violate the Executive Order. Only with an effective oversight process can we be assured that the intent and obligations set forth in Executive Order 13089 are met. We look forward to your support for and early response to our request. Respectfully submitted, (endorsing organizations will be listed alphabetically) **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER POSTED ABOVE**** ******************** BACKGROUND RATIONALE ******************** EXECUTIVE ORDER 13089 FOR THE PROTECTION OF CORAL REEFS Executive Order 13089 for Coral Reef Protection was signed by President Clinton on June 11, 1998. Section 2 of the Executive Order states: "(a) All Federal agencies whose actions may affect U.S. coral reef ecosystems shall ... (b) utilize their programs and authorities to protect and enhance the conditions of such ecosystems; and (c) to the extent permitted by law, ensure that any actions they authorize, fund, or carry out will not degrade the conditions of such ecosystems." President Clinton clearly mandated that the actions of all Federal agencies, including those actions for which the agencies issue permits, must do no harm to coral reef ecosystems. This mandate applies to a wide variety of activities such as those listed above. This Executive Order confers landmark federal protection to coral reefs. But this protection can only be realized with adequate oversight by the US Coral Reef Task Force. THE CORAL REEF TASK FORCE The Executive Order also established the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and its obligations to: "oversee implementation of the policy and Federal agency responsibilities set forth in this order" (Section 4); "develop, recommend, and seek or secure implementation of measures necessary to reduce and mitigate coral reef ecosystem degradation and to restore damaged coral reefs" (Section 5). It is clearly the responsibility and obligation of the USCRTF to ensure that the Executive Order is being met. As such, the USCRTF must act as an enforcer of the Executive Order. WHY ACT NOW? The USCRTF has prepared a draft action plan to implement the Executive Order. However, the draft action plan places the USCRTF in the role of an observer and advisor, rather than an enforcer. The USCRTF will meet again in early March to adopt a final action plan. NOW is the time to urge the USCRTF to take its responsibilities seriously and establish an oversight process whereby all actions of all Federal agencies that may impact coral reefs are reviewed and any actions that degrade coral reefs are clearly prohibited because they violate the Executive Order. HOW YOU CAN HELP If you represent a group or a dive center, please take a few short minutes to read the enclosed Endorsement Letter. Then phone, e-mail or fax us with your okay to add your group or dive center's name to the list of organizations signing the letter which requests enforcement of Executive Order 13089. We will combine it with dozens more for presentation at the USCRTF meeting on March 2nd. Thank you in advance for your help, ALEXANDER STONE President ReefKeeper International (305)358-4600 (FAX) 358-3030 Email a_stone at reefkeeper.org **** WE NEED YOUR GROUP TO ENDORSE THE LETTER POSTED ABOVE BY FEBRUARY 20TH**** ************************************* Join the 50+ Groups Listed Above Seeking Protection for Coral Reefs from Federal Agency Damaging Actions as Mandated by President Clinton PLEASE REPLY BY FEBRUARY 20TH! ************************************* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From oveh at uq.edu.au Tue Feb 15 11:42:24 2000 From: oveh at uq.edu.au (Ove Hoegh-Guldberg) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 03:42:24 +1100 Subject: Bleaching and the GBR [slight return] In-Reply-To: <200002151242.MAA59775@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Message-ID: <000301bf77d3$a3bc61a0$7d6e6682@cc.uq.edu.au> Agreed - only I would differ with the sentiment of this being a case of a need for a "reality check". The distinction between the two is critical if we are to understand the changes (if real or not). Studies that examine what is happening today on reefs and those that try to project forward (with input from the appropriate specialists - climatologists etc.) are two different but equally important parts of the same problem. Not surprisingly, it is media not the scientists that require the reality checks. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, University of Queensland -----Original Message----- From: owner-coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:owner-coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Rick Grigg Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2000 11:43 PM To: Hugh Sweatman; coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov Subject: Re: Bleaching and the GBR [slight return] Dear Hugh, Congratulations on a nice study and the straight talk regarding the effects of bleaching, recovery, and the GBR in general. While the distinction between what IS and what MIGHT BE is important, so are reality checks such as yours. Rick Grigg, Univ. of Hawaii At 04:34 PM 2/14/00 +1000, Hugh Sweatman wrote: >Harking back to the correspondence about a month ago concerning the >Reuter's/PlanetArk posting on coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef, >the first results of the AIMS Long Term Monitoring Program's assessment of >the broadscale effects of the 1998 bleaching can now be seen at: > >http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/coral-bleaching/Broadscale-bleaching/ b >eb-01.html > >(or look up bleaching in the Topics Index) > >The AIMS program surveys 47 reefs once a year at about the same time each >year. For a valid comparison estimates of hard coral cover from 1997 >surveys [well before bleaching] were compared with those from 1999 surveys >[well after bleaching]. The figure shows total living coral cover for the >survey sites on reefs, arranged by latitude and position across the GBR >lagoon [inshore to offshore]. Study areas on most survey reefs showed an >increase in hard coral cover over the period. These estimates are from >video transects (methods are described elsewhere on the AIMS webpage); the >important point in this context is that the study sites are generally at >6-9 m depth [not on reef crests]. > >Reefs that showed a net loss of hard coral are mid-shelf reefs in the >Cooktown/ Lizard Is sector, inner reefs in the Cairns and Townsville >sectors and some reefs in the Swains sector. The Cooktown / Lizard Is >reefs and the Swains reefs are known to have populations of the >crown-of-thorns starfish which eats corals. The implication is that, of >the reefs that are surveyed, only inner reefs in the Cairns and Townsville >sectors were badly affected by the bleaching. > >While the program's coverage of nearshore reefs is not very extensive and >inshore reefs in other sectors may have been affected, the important point >is that less shallow areas of much of the GBR were NOT devastated. > >Total cover of live coral is a very simple measure: corals clearly differ >in their susceptibility to bleaching, so the composition of assemblages may >have changed even though the total cover has not decreased. Graphical >checks do not show gross patterns with the taxonomic resolution that is >possible with U/W video, but we have not applied heavy-duty statistical >procedures yet. > >Finally, to reiterate the point made by Terry Done in this forum, this is a >measure of what HAS happened on the GBR; Ove Hoegh-Gulberg's recent paper >concerns what MIGHT happen - the Australian media often fail to make that >distinction. However, most predictions are dire and constant vigilance is >required to follow developments - the AIMS program is part of that. > > >Hugh Sweatman >Long Term Monitoring Program, >Australian Institute of Marine Science, >PMB3 Townsville MC, Qld 4810 >Australia >ph: (07) 4753 4470 / +61 7 4753 4470 [GMT +10] >faxes: (07) 4753 4288 / 4772 5852 >h.sweatman at aims.gov.au web: http//www.aims.gov.au/ >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) >sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program >(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site >for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) >sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program >(CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site >for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsors coral-list and the Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP, http://www.coral.noaa.gov). Please visit the Web site for instructions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From warrior at bu.edu Thu Feb 17 00:00:48 2000 From: warrior at bu.edu (Jamie D. Bechtel) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 00:00:48 Subject: CITES In-Reply-To: <38AACF76.9B794ACE@biologia.univalle.edu.co> References: <200002161216.IAA13578@ns1.carats.net> Message-ID: <3.0.1.16.20000217000048.53af57cc@acs-mail.bu.edu> hello all. it is with great distress that i have been following the line of thought the past few days. as a reef biologist having to occasionally import corals to the US, i understand the grief that permitting can cause. (for the record, as species of scleractina make their way onto the endangered species list in the US, it will get worse...more permits for both importing and exporting). however, i implore you to consider the possible long term ramifications of altering a major treaty such as CITES by adding flexibility. not only is that flexibility immediately available for misuse. until the terms are tested in a court of law or at the ICJ, we won't know the full power of the alternation to the ammended treaty. this treaty was not created in a vacuum, the CITES 'committee' is fully aware of the difficulties CITES presents to scientists. the reason it is difficult for scientists to import corals under the CITES treaty is that the standard applied to trade of endangered species in Appendix I is "wholly non-commercial" vs. "commercial". this is a very strict standard. science was included under commercial largely because of development in genetics and medicinal research for commercial purposes. it is a standard designed to protect countries from exploitation by developed nations and to protect the world from the economical exploitation of pseduoscience. yes, scientists are largely responsible for the implementation of treaties such as CITES. and we are the group of stakeholders that can most quickly undermine the treaty. i assure you, what the opponets of such treaties await is dissatisfaction among scientists. this is the case for the US endangered species act as well. the phrase "even scientists find the act too strict" could become an international political fiasco. if the terms of the treaty are to come up for consideration, i guarantee that relaxing the scientific standard won't be the only flexibility mechanism written in. please, before you immediately condemn the strict standard of the treaty, consider that it is the scientific agency of your state that is responsible for permitting procedure. traditionally, the problems arise in administration and enforcement. a petition to your state or state agency may be a lot less harmful, and a lot more effective than a persuasive letter written to the CITES conference of the parties. finally, please consider that CITES goes alot further than protecting the order of scleractina...just over 34,000 species are protected under the act. cheers, jamie __________________________________________________________ Jamie D. Bechtel Boston University Boston College Law School Department of Biology 885 Centre Street 5 Cummington Street Newton, MA 02159 Boston, MA 02215 bechtelj at bc.edu (617)353-6969 lable if our >> aim is truly to protect coral reefs for the future. >> >> Sorry scientists ! >> >> Kalli De Meyer >> Manager. Bonaire Marine Park > >-- >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Fernando A. Zapata >Departamento de Biologia >Universidad del Valle >Apartado Aereo 25360 >Cali, Colombia > >Ph.(+57-2) 321-2171/339-3243 >Fax. (+57-2) 339-2440 > >E-Mail:fazr at biologia.univalle.edu.co >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > From Oceanwatch at aol.com Wed Feb 16 09:56:18 2000 From: Oceanwatch at aol.com (Oceanwatch at aol.com) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 09:56:18 EST Subject: Coral Reef NGO Meeting, March 3, 8:30am Message-ID: <200002171258.MAA12475@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> TO: Coral Reef NGOs & Science Stakeholders NGO Breakfast, Friday, 3/3, 8:30am Location: 2105 Rayburn House Office Bldg Oceanwatch is confirming the breakfast meeting of coral reef NGOs to take place 8:30am, Friday, March 3, 2105 Rayburn House Office Bldg in Washington, DC after the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting. The main purpose is to plan a coordinated lobbying effort for increased Federal coral reef funding to support the Natl Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs and discuss other high priority coral reef issues. If you have not responded and plan to attend, please respond ASAP to oceanwatch at aol.com We need to know who's coming. 13 individuals and organizations have responded so far. NGOs and individuals willing to contribute time and effort on legislative advocacy for coral reefs are welcome. This is not an informational meeting but a joint strategy session. Agenda to follow. Time will be limited, we plan to adjourn by 10:00am at the latest. More information on the Natl Action Plan can be found at http://coralreef.gov We suggest you take the opportunity to meet with your Senators and Representative immediately following the breakfast. The phone number for the Capitol is 202-225-3121. A Congressional Directory is available at http://thomas.loc.gov Continental breakfast will be provided. Thank You Cliff McCreedy ><((;> ><((;> ><((;> Oceanwatch 2101 Wilson Boulevard Suite 900 Arlington, VA 22201 phone 703-351-7444 fax 703-351-7472 e-mail: Oceanwatch at aol.com http://www.enviroweb.org/oceanwatch From rgrigg at iniki.soest.hawaii.edu Thu Feb 17 07:54:15 2000 From: rgrigg at iniki.soest.hawaii.edu (Rick Grigg) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 12:54:15 GMT Subject: Trade in corals. Message-ID: <200002171254.MAA12420@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Dear John, In the United States, I think the Lacey Act makes it illegal to import corals into the US, if collection is outlawed in the country of Origin. On top of this, Cities laws apply to all species on Appendix I and II. Rick Grigg, University of Hawaii At 08:04 AM 2/14/00 -0500, John Ware wrote: >Dear List: > >Some years ago, after having been told all sorts of conflicting stories >concerning rules, regulations, and laws concerning the importation of >corals and coral products [e.g., Importation is permitted if the coral >has been 'worked' into jewelry, or importation is permitted for >'personal use'], I decided to contact the source of knowledge. Under >the presumption that the authority for enforcing whatever regulations >there may be lay with the US Customs Service, I made numerous phone >calls to the Service and talked to countless people. > >The net result was frustration. I was handed from person to person, >none of whom had the slightest notion as to whether there were any rules >regarding corals or not, or even who I should contact as the proper >authority. While other agencies may set the rules or have some sort of >authority with regard to enforcement, the fact that Customs, which is >the front line in enforcement, is working from a position of ignorance >would seem to mitigate whatever regulations are or may be in existence. > >In addition, it would appear that any exploitation rule that was species >specific would require enforcement by personnel trained in >identification of coral species from skeletal remains. A daunting task >even for experts, particularly if the skeleton has been altered. > >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 > > > > >-- > ************************************************************* > * * > * John R. Ware, PhD * > * President * > * SeaServices, Inc. * > * 19572 Club House Road * > * Montgomery Village, MD, 20886 * > * 301 987-8507 * > * jware at erols.com * > * fax: 301 987-8531 * > * _ * > * | * > * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * > * _|_ * > * | _ | * > * _______________________________| |________ * > * |\/__ Undersea Technology for the 21st Century \ * > * |/\____________________________________________/ * > ************************************************************** > From emueller at mote.org Thu Feb 17 08:21:38 2000 From: emueller at mote.org (Erich Mueller) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 08:21:38 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time) Subject: coral disease course application deadline Message-ID: Apologies for any cross-postings. Please note application deadline of 31 March for Dr. Peter's course. As part of our Advanced Courses in Tropical Marine Sciences, Dr. Esther Peters will be teaching "Diseases of Corals and Other Reef Organisms" 24 June to 1 July, 2000. The course will be offered at our new facility on Summerland Key. More information and the application form can be found at our Web site: www.mote.org/~emueller/CTRHome.phtml <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Erich Mueller, Ph.D., Director Phone: (305) 745-2729 Mote Marine Laboratory FAX: (305) 745-2730 Center for Tropical Research Email: emueller at mote.org 24244 Overseas Highway (US 1) Summerland Key, FL 33042 Center Website-> http://www.mote.org/~emueller/CTRHome.phtml Mote Marine Laboratory Website-> http://www.mote.org Remarks are personal opinion and do not reflect institutional policy unless so indicated. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> From jgarzon at invemar.org.co Thu Feb 17 08:18:04 2000 From: jgarzon at invemar.org.co (Jaime Garzon Ferreira) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 08:18:04 -0500 Subject: Repeated messages Message-ID: <002001bf7949$6c4e2f60$d00d19c8@invemar.org.co> I do not know if this is happening to all members the coral-list, but I have been receiving each message twice during the last week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jaime Garz?n-Ferreira Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (INVEMAR) A.A. 1016, Santa Marta, COLOMBIA Tel. (575)4214774 or 4211380 - Fax (575) 4211377 E-mail: jgarzon at invemar.org.co - http://www.invemar.org.co ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000217/379fdaf8/attachment.html From gregorh at pacific.net.hk Thu Feb 17 10:10:06 2000 From: gregorh at pacific.net.hk (Gregor Hodgson) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 23:10:06 +0800 Subject: Possibile topics for student research -- a bad thing? Message-ID: <38AC0F4E.E779E049@pacific.net.hk> Dear colleagues, Many of you probably get frequent requests for help similar to the one below that I often receive: "Dear Dr. Hodgson, I am a grad student at (XYZ) university very interested in doing my thesis on coral reefs. My problem is that I do not know what to focus on." At a recent council meeting of the International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS), it was suggested that ISRS Council choose a list of priority research areas that might be helpful to students searching for research topics. While some supported this proposal, others felt strongly that this was properly the role of the student's advisor and that ISRS should not get involved. While perhaps in theory, every student who wants to do a thesis on coral reefs has access to expert advice, in practice coral reef biologists are spread fairly thinly around the world, and the "system" clearly is not working well based on the number of "lost" students -- in both developing and developed countries that contact us for help. By providing a list of what coral reef scientists see as critical research questions, ISRS would not be forcing anyone to take them up, but perhaps could help direct students to important topics that they may not be aware of. Is this a role that ISRS could/should help with? I would be interested to know others' views on the subject. Cheers, Greg -- Gregor Hodgson, PhD Council Member ISRS Coordinator, Reef Check Global Survey Program GPO Box 12375, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2802-6937 Fax: (852) 2887-5454 Email: gregorh at pacific.net.hk Web: www.ReefCheck.org From jocelyn at mcbi.org Thu Feb 17 13:59:42 2000 From: jocelyn at mcbi.org (Jocelyn Garovoy) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 10:59:42 -0800 Subject: Scientists call for national system of MPAs Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20000217105621.00993890@mail.adhost.com> Announcement: February 16, 2000 Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) and The Cousteau Society are proud to release the documents from their recent workshop, Establishing a National System of Marine Protected Areas in the United States. The workshop, held in Washington DC, included more than a dozen leading social and natural scientists from around the world and over thirty observers from federal agencies, universities, and NGOs in the USA and Canada. The workshop participants have produced an unprecedented set of recommendations calling for the immediate establishment of high-level federal process to create a comprehensive national system of marine protected areas, and recommended criteria for the design and management of the proposed system. Please find the letter outlining the group's recommendations to President Clinton and Vice President Gore below. The full text of the document, Safeguarding America's Seas: Establishing a National System of Marine Protected Areas, can be accessed through MCBI's website: http://www.mcbi.org February 14, 2000 President William Jefferson Clinton Vice President Albert Gore The White House Washington DC 20500 Dear Mr. President and Mr. Vice President: Among the many challenges the United States faces in the 21st Century, the greatest one is bequeathing future generations a livable planet. This requires that our leaders safeguard our nation's unequaled marine environments no less than our terrestrial landscapes. The Clinton-Gore Administration has made major contributions toward that end, including holding the first National Ocean Conference in June 1998 in Monterey CA and outlining needed initiatives in Turning to the Sea: America's Ocean Future. We strongly believe that, if implemented effectively, the recommendation in that report to establish a national system of marine protected areas would be one of your Administration's greatest environmental legacies, one whose historic impact would be comparable to those of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter in protecting the American landscape. To help you achieve this bold and critically important goal, Marine Conservation Biology Institute and The Cousteau Society convened an international group of more than a dozen natural and social scientists, all of whom are experts in marine conservation, to propose measures that this and succeeding Administrations could undertake to protect the biological diversity and integrity of our nation's estuaries, coastal waters and oceans. In the document that follows we outline a plan your Administration can initiate that would be an unprecedented step toward protecting America's ocean legacy, and offer state-of-the-art guidelines for establishing marine protected areas to achieve this purpose. We encourage you to create a National Marine Protected Area Council via Executive Order to coordinate and carry out this plan, much as you have coordinated efforts to address invasive species and coral reef protection through other farsighted Executive Orders. This is not a task for those lacking in vision, but we come to you knowing that establishing this system will benefit our nation, our children and all generations of Americans to come. Sincerely, Tundi Agardy Ph.D., Senior Director, Global Marine Program, Conservation International, Washington DC Angel C. Alcala, Ph.D., Research Professor, Silliman University, Pasig City, The Philippines Louis W. Botsford, Ph.D., Professor of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis CA Phillip Dustan, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, College of Charleston, Charleston SC Peter M. Emerson, Ph.D., Senior Economist, Environmental Defense, Austin TX Jon Lien, Ph.D., Honorary Research Professor, Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. Johns, Canada James Lindholm, Ph.D., Postoctoral Fellow, University of Connecticut National Undersea Research Center, Groton CT Michael Mascia, Ph.D. Candidate, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort NC Amy Mathews-Amos, M.S., M.P.A., Program Director, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Washington DC Elliott A. Norse, Ph.D., President, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Redmond WA John C. Ogden, Ph.D., Director, Florida Institute of Oceanography, St. Petersburg FL Alison Rieser, J.D., Director, Marine Law Institute, University of Maine, Portland ME cc: The Honorable William M. Daley, Secretary of Commerce The Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior George Frampton, Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality James B. Steinberg, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, National Security Council Ellen Athas, Associate Director for Oceans, Council on Environmental Quality Ian Bowles, Director of Environmental Affairs, National Security Council -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000217/ea1663d3/attachment.html From warrior at bu.edu Thu Feb 17 00:00:48 2000 From: warrior at bu.edu (Jamie D. Bechtel) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 00:00:48 Subject: CITES In-Reply-To: <38AACF76.9B794ACE@biologia.univalle.edu.co> References: <200002161216.IAA13578@ns1.carats.net> Message-ID: <3.0.1.16.20000217000048.53af57cc@acs-mail.bu.edu> hello all. it is with great distress that i have been following the line of thought the past few days. as a reef biologist having to occasionally import corals to the US, i understand the grief that permitting can cause. (for the record, as species of scleractina make their way onto the endangered species list in the US, it will get worse...more permits for both importing and exporting). however, i implore you to consider the possible long term ramifications of altering a major treaty such as CITES by adding flexibility. not only is that flexibility immediately available for misuse. until the terms are tested in a court of law or at the ICJ, we won't know the full power of the alternation to the ammended treaty. this treaty was not created in a vacuum, the CITES 'committee' is fully aware of the difficulties CITES presents to scientists. the reason it is difficult for scientists to import corals under the CITES treaty is that the standard applied to trade of endangered species in Appendix I is "wholly non-commercial" vs. "commercial". this is a very strict standard. science was included under commercial largely because of development in genetics and medicinal research for commercial purposes. it is a standard designed to protect countries from exploitation by developed nations and to protect the world from the economical exploitation of pseduoscience. yes, scientists are largely responsible for the implementation of treaties such as CITES. and we are the group of stakeholders that can most quickly undermine the treaty. i assure you, what the opponets of such treaties await is dissatisfaction among scientists. this is the case for the US endangered species act as well. the phrase "even scientists find the act too strict" could become an international political fiasco. if the terms of the treaty are to come up for consideration, i guarantee that relaxing the scientific standard won't be the only flexibility mechanism written in. please, before you immediately condemn the strict standard of the treaty, consider that it is the scientific agency of your state that is responsible for permitting procedure. traditionally, the problems arise in administration and enforcement. a petition to your state or state agency may be a lot less harmful, and a lot more effective than a persuasive letter written to the CITES conference of the parties. finally, please consider that CITES goes alot further than protecting the order of scleractina...just over 34,000 species are protected under the act. cheers, jamie __________________________________________________________ Jamie D. Bechtel Boston University Boston College Law School Department of Biology 885 Centre Street 5 Cummington Street Newton, MA 02159 Boston, MA 02215 bechtelj at bc.edu (617)353-6969 lable if our >> aim is truly to protect coral reefs for the future. >> >> Sorry scientists ! >> >> Kalli De Meyer >> Manager. Bonaire Marine Park > >-- >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Fernando A. Zapata >Departamento de Biologia >Universidad del Valle >Apartado Aereo 25360 >Cali, Colombia > >Ph.(+57-2) 321-2171/339-3243 >Fax. (+57-2) 339-2440 > >E-Mail:fazr at biologia.univalle.edu.co >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > From Oceanwatch at aol.com Wed Feb 16 09:56:18 2000 From: Oceanwatch at aol.com (Oceanwatch at aol.com) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 09:56:18 EST Subject: Coral Reef NGO Meeting, March 3, 8:30am Message-ID: <200002171258.MAA12475@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> TO: Coral Reef NGOs & Science Stakeholders NGO Breakfast, Friday, 3/3, 8:30am Location: 2105 Rayburn House Office Bldg Oceanwatch is confirming the breakfast meeting of coral reef NGOs to take place 8:30am, Friday, March 3, 2105 Rayburn House Office Bldg in Washington, DC after the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting. The main purpose is to plan a coordinated lobbying effort for increased Federal coral reef funding to support the Natl Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs and discuss other high priority coral reef issues. If you have not responded and plan to attend, please respond ASAP to oceanwatch at aol.com We need to know who's coming. 13 individuals and organizations have responded so far. NGOs and individuals willing to contribute time and effort on legislative advocacy for coral reefs are welcome. This is not an informational meeting but a joint strategy session. Agenda to follow. Time will be limited, we plan to adjourn by 10:00am at the latest. More information on the Natl Action Plan can be found at http://coralreef.gov We suggest you take the opportunity to meet with your Senators and Representative immediately following the breakfast. The phone number for the Capitol is 202-225-3121. A Congressional Directory is available at http://thomas.loc.gov Continental breakfast will be provided. Thank You Cliff McCreedy ><((;> ><((;> ><((;> Oceanwatch 2101 Wilson Boulevard Suite 900 Arlington, VA 22201 phone 703-351-7444 fax 703-351-7472 e-mail: Oceanwatch at aol.com http://www.enviroweb.org/oceanwatch From jwest at iucnus.org Thu Feb 17 18:04:36 2000 From: jwest at iucnus.org (West Jordan) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 18:04:36 -0500 Subject: Support coral reef conservation through letters to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Message-ID: <77AEF9DFA104D211A6D60060088FEB872D6C3F@mainserver.iucnus.org> Dear colleagues; On behalf of the Marine Program of IUCN-The World Conservation Union, I am writing to encourage your active participation in support of coral reef conservation and the efforts of the U. S. Coral Reef Task Force. The upcoming March 2nd meeting of the Task Force represents an important opportunity for scientists, managers, and other stakeholders to raise a collect voice in support of coral reef conservation. Even if you are unable to attend the meeting, you can still make an important contribution! If you feel strongly about coral reef conservation, you can encourage continued attention to coral reef issues by e-mailing or faxing a letter of support to Roger Griffis or Patricia Kennedy (contact information below), acknowledging your concern for global threats to coral reefs, and endorsing the efforts of the U. S. Coral Reef Task Force to address these threats, both domestically AND internationally. It is also important to remember how powerful letters from constituents can be to members of the U. S. Congress and to their counterparts in other governments - a brief letter to your U. S. Congressman (U. S. citizens) or to the relevant environmental policymakers of your country (international colleagues) can greatly strengthen efforts to increase awareness and financing for coral reef research, management and protection. The leadership of the U. S. in developing a comprehensive and coordinated national plan for reef conservation can serve as a starting point for other national plans, while its participation in cooperative international efforts should be encouraged and increased. For domestic reefs, the U. S. strategy is based on a collection of plans designed by Working Groups on: coastal uses, water and air quality, coral reef mapping, ecosystem science and conservation, all U. S. Islands strategy, and public education and outreach. Meanwhile, the International Working Group serves as liaison with international bodies such as the International Coral Reef Initiative and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and has been very active in international efforts to address global threats such as coral bleaching and international trade in coral reef organisms. A special one-day meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2000, at the Department of Commerce auditorium, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. The purpose of the meeting is to review and discuss the proposed National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs (http://coralreef.gov). This is a detailed long-term strategy for the restoration, protection, and sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems, both domestically and internationally. At its last meeting in October 1999, the Task Force endorsed the draft National Action Plan and presented it for public comment. A steering group has reviewed the submitted public and internal comments and is now revising the document in preparation for its consideration and possible adoption at the upcoming Task Force meeting. We encourage strong attendance at the meeting and/or letters of support to: Roger.B.Griffis at hdq.noaa.gov (fax: 202-501-3024) or Patricia_Kennedy at ios.doi.gov (fax: 202/208-4684) Thank you, ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Jordan M. West, Ph. D. Marine Science Advisor IUCN-The World Conservation Union 1630 Connecticut Ave., N. W. -- Third Floor Washington, DC 20009 Telephone: ++1 (202) 387-4826 Telefax: ++1 (202) 387-4823 E-mail: jwest at iucnus.org http://www.iucnus.org ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ From jocelyn at mcbi.org Thu Feb 17 13:59:42 2000 From: jocelyn at mcbi.org (Jocelyn Garovoy) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 10:59:42 -0800 Subject: Scientists call for national system of MPAs Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20000217105621.00993890@mail.adhost.com> Announcement: February 16, 2000 Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) and The Cousteau Society are proud to release the documents from their recent workshop, Establishing a National System of Marine Protected Areas in the United States. The workshop, held in Washington DC, included more than a dozen leading social and natural scientists from around the world and over thirty observers from federal agencies, universities, and NGOs in the USA and Canada. The workshop participants have produced an unprecedented set of recommendations calling for the immediate establishment of high-level federal process to create a comprehensive national system of marine protected areas, and recommended criteria for the design and management of the proposed system. Please find the letter outlining the group's recommendations to President Clinton and Vice President Gore below. The full text of the document, Safeguarding America's Seas: Establishing a National System of Marine Protected Areas, can be accessed through MCBI's website: http://www.mcbi.org February 14, 2000 President William Jefferson Clinton Vice President Albert Gore The White House Washington DC 20500 Dear Mr. President and Mr. Vice President: Among the many challenges the United States faces in the 21st Century, the greatest one is bequeathing future generations a livable planet. This requires that our leaders safeguard our nation's unequaled marine environments no less than our terrestrial landscapes. The Clinton-Gore Administration has made major contributions toward that end, including holding the first National Ocean Conference in June 1998 in Monterey CA and outlining needed initiatives in Turning to the Sea: America's Ocean Future. We strongly believe that, if implemented effectively, the recommendation in that report to establish a national system of marine protected areas would be one of your Administration's greatest environmental legacies, one whose historic impact would be comparable to those of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter in protecting the American landscape. To help you achieve this bold and critically important goal, Marine Conservation Biology Institute and The Cousteau Society convened an international group of more than a dozen natural and social scientists, all of whom are experts in marine conservation, to propose measures that this and succeeding Administrations could undertake to protect the biological diversity and integrity of our nation's estuaries, coastal waters and oceans. In the document that follows we outline a plan your Administration can initiate that would be an unprecedented step toward protecting America's ocean legacy, and offer state-of-the-art guidelines for establishing marine protected areas to achieve this purpose. We encourage you to create a National Marine Protected Area Council via Executive Order to coordinate and carry out this plan, much as you have coordinated efforts to address invasive species and coral reef protection through other farsighted Executive Orders. This is not a task for those lacking in vision, but we come to you knowing that establishing this system will benefit our nation, our children and all generations of Americans to come. Sincerely, Tundi Agardy Ph.D., Senior Director, Global Marine Program, Conservation International, Washington DC Angel C. Alcala, Ph.D., Research Professor, Silliman University, Pasig City, The Philippines Louis W. Botsford, Ph.D., Professor of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis CA Phillip Dustan, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, College of Charleston, Charleston SC Peter M. Emerson, Ph.D., Senior Economist, Environmental Defense, Austin TX Jon Lien, Ph.D., Honorary Research Professor, Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. Johns, Canada James Lindholm, Ph.D., Postoctoral Fellow, University of Connecticut National Undersea Research Center, Groton CT Michael Mascia, Ph.D. Candidate, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort NC Amy Mathews-Amos, M.S., M.P.A., Program Director, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Washington DC Elliott A. Norse, Ph.D., President, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Redmond WA John C. Ogden, Ph.D., Director, Florida Institute of Oceanography, St. Petersburg FL Alison Rieser, J.D., Director, Marine Law Institute, University of Maine, Portland ME cc: The Honorable William M. Daley, Secretary of Commerce The Honorable Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior George Frampton, Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality James B. Steinberg, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, National Security Council Ellen Athas, Associate Director for Oceans, Council on Environmental Quality Ian Bowles, Director of Environmental Affairs, National Security Council -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000217/ea1663d3/attachment-0001.html From Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov Fri Feb 18 10:55:41 2000 From: Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov (Jim Hendee) Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 15:55:41 GMT Subject: CORAL-LISTERS: PLEASE READ Message-ID: <200002181555.PAA18840@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Dear Coral-List subscribers, Please read this entire message. As I already mentioned eariler in the week, we are apparently having troubles at our laboratory with either a configuration of sendmail for our laboratory, or some other problem with coral-list that does not appear to have originated at the coral workstation, as I have done nothing different to the majordomo software configuration. If you will remember, however, a couple of years ago we had a similar problem wherein a colleague of ours in Australia had inadvertently set up a continuous loop of mail forwarding. That was exacerbated by a problem with their Unix System Administrator misconfiguring their system so that all coral-list messages kept being repeated to all 1,426 of you. Obviously, none of us is happy about this, but I have been assured by our Director of Computer Networks & Services that it is being looked into. I'm sure they are not happy about it either, as this just places more of a burden on the outgoing mail queue and their never-ending workload. In the mean time, if any of you have set up mail forwarding during the last week or so, please recheck to make sure you do not have a continuous loop set up so that your mail is being forwarded to one address, which then forwards back to the original, etc. If I get any suspicious bounces from coral-list, I will have to delete your name for the list for the time being. If you just can't take it any more and you're totally stressed out about the situation, you can do one of these things: a) unsubscribe now and resubscribe later b) unsubscribe now and subscribe instead to coral-list-digest (one message a week, we hope) c) unsubscribe forever d) be patient and delete the duplicates. Whatever you do, PLEASE DO NOT COMPLAIN TO ALL OF CORAL-LIST (e.g., "me too!"). This obviously just makes matters worse. I know there are many of you who are using the list now at a critical time before the US Coral Reef Task Force meeting on March 1, and for other critical matters (e.g., coral bleaching incidences) so I ask that you only post messages of the utmost importance until this is all cleared up. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Cheers, Jim Hendee coral-list administrator On Thu, 17 Feb 2000, Jaime Garzon Ferreira wrote: > I do not know if this is happening to all members the coral-list, but > I have been receiving each message twice during the last week. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Jaime Garz=F3n-Ferreira > Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (INVEMAR) > A.A. 1016, Santa Marta, COLOMBIA > Tel. (575)4214774 or 4211380 - Fax (575) 4211377 > E-mail: jgarzon at invemar.org.co - http://www.invemar.org.co > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >=20 From jware at erols.com Thu Feb 17 12:47:46 2000 From: jware at erols.com (John Ware) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 12:47:46 -0500 Subject: CITES and the coral trade. Message-ID: <38AC3442.C8372BCB@erols.com> Coral Listers, >From the numerous responses I have received (most of which have appeared in the list, and thank you very much), several simple concepts can be distilled: 1- Corals cannot be imported into the United States from countries which forbid the collection of corals. 2- CITES, to which the US is a signatory, has put all Scleractinia and Antipatharia on its protected list. Apparently, this has the effect of making importation of these corals into the United States by anyone not possessing a valid permit illegal. 3- The Fish and Wildlife Service have the authority to enforce the regulations regarding corals. However, it is Customs who must detect and recognize that a coral or coral product is subject to FWS jurisdiction and contact the appropriate authorities. 4- For the most part, the only people being terribly bothered by the regulations are legitimate scientists who make the mistake of actually openly admitting that they have something to declare or that is subject to CITES. Just as a guess, I would imagine that the amount of coral brought into the US and/or taken by scientists world wide is a small fraction of the amount taken for resale to the aquarium trade, the curio trade, or to be made into jewelry. I cannot even begin to guess what portion of the total direct damage to coral reefs falls into this 'commercial' area (as opposed to damage by, e.g., blast fishing). Perhaps someone out there has an estimate and estimates may be available in the literature? However that may be, the primary purpose of this memo is to inquire if there is an effective way to inform the traveling, diving, aquaria-owning public of these restrictions. Certainly, if no one bought black-coral jewelry and carvings, eventually the taking of black coral would stop. Or am I being naive? In any event, I intend to do as much as possible in my area to inform scuba divers (who constitute a large portion of the tourism to reef areas and who are responsible for buying much of the black coral sold to US citizens), of the legalities of the situation as well as the ecological impacts. Probably a drop in the bucket, but enough drops may eventually add up to something. Does anybody have any thoughts on this matter they would like to share with the list? John -- ************************************************************* * * * John R. Ware, PhD * * President * * SeaServices, Inc. * * 19572 Club House Road * * Montgomery Village, MD, 20886 * * 301 987-8507 * * jware at erols.com * * fax: 301 987-8531 * * _ * * | * * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * * _|_ * * | _ | * * _______________________________| |________ * * |\/__ Undersea Technology for the 21st Century \ * * |/\____________________________________________/ * ************************************************************** From delbeek at hawaii.edu Fri Feb 18 15:49:24 2000 From: delbeek at hawaii.edu (J. Charles Delbeek) Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 10:49:24 -1000 Subject: CITES and the coral trade. In-Reply-To: <38AC3442.C8372BCB@erols.com> Message-ID: On Fri, 18 Feb 2000, John Ware wrote: > >From the numerous responses I have received (most of which have appeared > in the list, and thank you very much), several simple concepts can be > distilled: > > 1- Corals cannot be imported into the United States from countries which > forbid the collection of corals. For the most part true, however, there have been cases in the Philippines where dried coral skeletons have been released to the market with the blessings of the government, ostensibly to clear stocks that had been sitting in warehouses for decades. > 2- CITES, to which the US is a signatory, has put all Scleractinia and > Antipatharia on its protected list. Apparently, this has the effect of > making importation of these corals into the United States by anyone not > possessing a valid permit illegal. Again for the most part true. However, since there are three appendices under CITIES, I don't believe the term "protect" applies to all three. Certainly Appendice I animals are barred from being traded unless both import and export permits are in place. Appendice II and II organisms can still be traded but their numbers and movements are beingtracked, so that if things get out of hand they cpould be moved to appendice I. Now corals (stony and precious only at the moment, though Tubipora a soft coral is also on it) can be traded as an appendice II animal provided the exporting country provides a permit. There is nothing illegal about shipping these organisms provided teh proper permit has been issued. > 3- The Fish and Wildlife Service have the authority to enforce the > regulations regarding corals. However, it is Customs who must detect > and recognize that a coral or coral product is subject to FWS > jurisdiction and contact the appropriate authorities. Now we get into the sticky area. USFWS does have this authority but in the past, thanks to some, shall we say "overzealous" inspectors, they have taken it upon themselves to single-handedly become the protectors of all things scleractinian. The irony is that through their actions, they probably are responsible for the death of these same animals. Shipments of live soft corals have been confiscated and allowed to rot on the loading docks because an inspector discovered sand grains attached to the bottom of a leather coral, and since these sand grains might be scleractinian in nature and not declared on the import permit, it was an illegal shipment. It is not uncommon for several boxes of live corals to be confiscated in LA for example, because the import permit lists X number of a certain species but X+1 is in the box. Or the coral was misidentified according to the inspector, therefor an entire shipment can be confiscated. For an act, whose purpose at some level is to only monitor a trade, some are using to completely hinder a trade by relying on technicalites when perhaps a system of fines might be a better way of dealing with such errors. > 4- For the most part, the only people being terribly bothered by the > regulations are legitimate scientists who make the mistake of actually > openly admitting that they have something to declare or that is subject > to CITES. No they are not the only ones, see above examples. > Just as a guess, I would imagine that the amount of coral > brought into the US and/or taken by scientists world wide is a small > fraction of the amount taken for resale to the aquarium trade, the curio > trade, or to be made into jewelry. I cannot even begin to guess what > portion of the total direct damage to coral reefs falls into this > 'commercial' area (as opposed to damage by, e.g., blast fishing). > Perhaps someone out there has an estimate and estimates may be available > in the literature? I would suggest that you get a copy of the World Conservation Monitoring Centers Biodiversity Series Report No. 9, The Global Trade in Coral by Green and Shirley, 1999 www.wcmc.org.uk There are some errors in teh numbers and how they were arrived at but the authors recognize that the data colelcted by CITIES when it comes to corals, may not be in a form that conveys the most useful amount of information i.e. numbers vs. weights. What is interesting from the report though, and this is something that seems to have been ignored by members of the coral reef task force etc etc, is that the numbers of live corals imported into the US between 1985 and 1997 showed a peak in the early 90's and a smaller peak in 1995 but the general trend since 1992 is for LOWRER imports into the US. The US is still the main importer in the world of live coral, but when you comapre the amounts to the trade in dead corals, corals harvested by locals for lime production for roads and buildings, it pales in comparison. If we really want to protect coral reefs in these countries, then maybe we should send them a few tons of Portland cement and other construction materials? > However that may be, the primary purpose of this memo is to inquire if > there is an effective way to inform the traveling, diving, > aquaria-owning public of these restrictions. Certainly, if no one > bought black-coral jewelry and carvings, eventually the taking of > black coral would stop. Or am I being naive? There are those who would argue that the black coral industry is a sustainable one if propoerly managed, and in many countries it is legal for citizens to collect pieces and rework them into jewelery. By urging people not to purchase these works could result in loss of income for indigenous peoples, its an old argument that is used in many industries, and not easily dismissed. Until recently, it was perfectly legal to collect black coral in Hawaii, only this year, are permits required from the local DLNR. I am talking strictly non-commercial collecting here, commercial collectors have had size restrictions for decades. Anyway, Dr. Grigg of the University of HAwaii is much more qualified to talk about this issue than I am and perhaps he will put in his comments. > In any event, I intend to do as much as possible in my area to > inform scuba divers (who constitute a large portion of the tourism to > reef areas and who are responsible for buying much of the black coral > sold to US citizens), of the legalities of the situation as well as the > ecological impacts. Charles From cnidaria at earthlink.net Sat Feb 19 09:31:29 2000 From: cnidaria at earthlink.net (James M. Cervino) Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 09:31:29 -0500 Subject: No subject Message-ID: On Fri, 19 Feb 2000, J. Charles Delbeek wrote: Or the coral was misidentified according to the inspector, therefor an entire shipment can be confiscated. For an act, whose purpose at some level is to only monitor a trade, some are using to completely hinder a trade by relying on technicalites when perhaps a system of fines might be a better way of dealing with such errors. James comments: I agree that this has happened, however there are still shipments that make it through that contain endangered species all the time. Shell World and Evolution display (for sale) Helipora which is an endangered species. These particular merchants profit from corals and other endangered species. I think the CITES agents are short handed and need help, they are probably doing the best that they can with the limited staff they have. They need more agents, that are trained in coral ID. My question is, WHY would the agents themselves want to hinder the trade, it is possible that they witnessed more than sand grains attached to the bottom of a leather coral. They are also responsible for catching some of the shipments that are trying to make it through illegally. Also the corals that are collected are harvested in abundance with no regulation, similar to clear cutting. There is not one indigenous family that I have spoken to that is claiming that this destructive practice benefits them and their families for the long term. They all claim that their particular reefs were in better shape before collection and NaCN fishing started. The species of Helipora I mention above were fresh and not sitting in a warehouse for 10 years. On Fri, 19 Feb 2000, J. Charles Delbeek wrote: The US is still the main importer in the world of live coral, but when you comapre the amounts to the trade in dead corals, corals harvested by locals for lime production for roads and buildings, it pales in comparison. If we really want to protect coral reefs in these countries, then maybe we should send them a few tons of Portland cement and other construction materials? James comments: Giving countries funds for cement (or the actual cement) as a deterrent from destroying reefs is a great Idea! Another alternative for protecting reefs can be to propagate corals in captivity. Preventing any sale and import of wild caught corals. The Geothermal Aquacultural Research Foundation is showing that this can be an sustainable alternative from importing any WILD collected corals. Here is their Web Site : http://www.garf.org/29/PIC/3RD.html Also another research group from the Solomon Islands is implementing a program to grow corals in coastal areas. Here is their Organizational Information: The Coastal Aquaculture Center in the Solomon Islands is part of the larger, international scientific and technical organization, ICLARM, headquartered in the Philippines. The Center's work is aimed to produce income and/or protein from coral reef habitats on a sustainable basis for the benefit of developing countries. The Center actively promotes marine protected areas and the integration of traditional knowledge in managing yields from coral reefs. Liberation of hatchery reared juveniles to enhance recruitment levels for giant calms, pearl oysters, beche-de-mer and fish is conducted by ICLARM, as is development of methods to farm giant clams and pearl oysters, using low cost technology that is suitable for village communities. In addition, the Center is developing trade in farmed LIVE CORAL ANIMALS. I think these applications will work to help indigenous peoples protect their ecosystems for the long term, and put an END to wild caught or collected corals and fishes. To say that road construction, siltation, bleaching,diseases and storm damage are the real problem and that coral and fish collection is minor or "pale" is an understatement. Despite the fact that these other factors are worse than coral collection, it is still a fact that the collection of corals is destructive and having an additional damaging impact on reefs, lets promote other sustainable methods for fish and coral collection.Such as; farming in coastal areas, propagation in aquara in the USA, and fish collection methods like the IMA are implementing. James M. Cervino *************************************** James M. Cervino Marine Biologist Dept. of Biology/Geology 471 University Pkwy. Aiken South Carolina Zip: 29801 e-mail :cnidaria at earthlink.net *************************************** From delbeek at hawaii.edu Sat Feb 19 14:14:53 2000 From: delbeek at hawaii.edu (J. Charles Delbeek) Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 09:14:53 -1000 Subject: your mail In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On Sat, 19 Feb 2000, James M. Cervino wrote: > > On Fri, 19 Feb 2000, J. Charles Delbeek wrote: > > Or the coral was misidentified according to the inspector, therefor an > entire shipment can be confiscated. For an act, whose purpose at some level > is to only monitor a trade, some are using to completely hinder a trade by > relying on technicalites when perhaps a system of fines might be a better > way of dealing with such errors. > > > James comments: > I agree that this has happened, however there are still shipments that make > it through that contain endangered species all the time. Shell World and > Evolution display (for sale) Helipora which is an endangered species. Where is Heliopora listed as an endangered species? > These > particular merchants profit from corals and other endangered species. You seem to imply that corals are an endangered species .. where are they technically classified as endangered? > I think the CITES agents are short handed and need help, they are > probably doing the best that they can with the limited staff they > have. They need more agents, that are trained in coral ID. I agree. > My question is, WHY would the > agents themselves want to hinder the trade, it is possible that they > witnessed more than sand grains attached to the bottom of a leather coral. I think you would want to ask the people involved why they did what they did. No it is not possible that they witnessed more than just sand grains in this particular incident, if they did then then that too would have been documented. In most of these cases the incidents can be tracked down to a few agents at certain points of entry. > There is not one indigenous family that I have spoken to that is claiming > that this destructive practice benefits them and their families for the > long term. They all claim that their particular reefs were in better shape > before collection and NaCN fishing started. I was speaking about black coral. Charles From corals at CARIBE.NET Sun Feb 20 00:16:30 2000 From: corals at CARIBE.NET (CORALations) Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 01:16:30 -0400 Subject: Fw: Church-sponsored march may determine future of anti-Navy campaign in Puerto Rico........ Message-ID: <016c01bf7b61$ae88ac60$04c55bd1@default> Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2000 6:41 PM Subject: Church-sponsored march may determine future of anti-Navy campaign in Puerto Rico........ http://gbgm-umc.org/latinam-caribbean/puerto-rico/vieques/gbgm021600pjsc.stm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000220/150fa7a5/attachment.html From jwest at iucnus.org Thu Feb 17 18:04:36 2000 From: jwest at iucnus.org (West Jordan) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 18:04:36 -0500 Subject: Support coral reef conservation through letters to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Message-ID: <77AEF9DFA104D211A6D60060088FEB872D6C3F@mainserver.iucnus.org> Dear colleagues; On behalf of the Marine Program of IUCN-The World Conservation Union, I am writing to encourage your active participation in support of coral reef conservation and the efforts of the U. S. Coral Reef Task Force. The upcoming March 2nd meeting of the Task Force represents an important opportunity for scientists, managers, and other stakeholders to raise a collect voice in support of coral reef conservation. Even if you are unable to attend the meeting, you can still make an important contribution! If you feel strongly about coral reef conservation, you can encourage continued attention to coral reef issues by e-mailing or faxing a letter of support to Roger Griffis or Patricia Kennedy (contact information below), acknowledging your concern for global threats to coral reefs, and endorsing the efforts of the U. S. Coral Reef Task Force to address these threats, both domestically AND internationally. It is also important to remember how powerful letters from constituents can be to members of the U. S. Congress and to their counterparts in other governments - a brief letter to your U. S. Congressman (U. S. citizens) or to the relevant environmental policymakers of your country (international colleagues) can greatly strengthen efforts to increase awareness and financing for coral reef research, management and protection. The leadership of the U. S. in developing a comprehensive and coordinated national plan for reef conservation can serve as a starting point for other national plans, while its participation in cooperative international efforts should be encouraged and increased. For domestic reefs, the U. S. strategy is based on a collection of plans designed by Working Groups on: coastal uses, water and air quality, coral reef mapping, ecosystem science and conservation, all U. S. Islands strategy, and public education and outreach. Meanwhile, the International Working Group serves as liaison with international bodies such as the International Coral Reef Initiative and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and has been very active in international efforts to address global threats such as coral bleaching and international trade in coral reef organisms. A special one-day meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2000, at the Department of Commerce auditorium, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. The purpose of the meeting is to review and discuss the proposed National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs (http://coralreef.gov). This is a detailed long-term strategy for the restoration, protection, and sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems, both domestically and internationally. At its last meeting in October 1999, the Task Force endorsed the draft National Action Plan and presented it for public comment. A steering group has reviewed the submitted public and internal comments and is now revising the document in preparation for its consideration and possible adoption at the upcoming Task Force meeting. We encourage strong attendance at the meeting and/or letters of support to: Roger.B.Griffis at hdq.noaa.gov (fax: 202-501-3024) or Patricia_Kennedy at ios.doi.gov (fax: 202/208-4684) Thank you, ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Jordan M. West, Ph. D. Marine Science Advisor IUCN-The World Conservation Union 1630 Connecticut Ave., N. W. -- Third Floor Washington, DC 20009 Telephone: ++1 (202) 387-4826 Telefax: ++1 (202) 387-4823 E-mail: jwest at iucnus.org http://www.iucnus.org ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ From jaapk at wins.uva.nl Mon Feb 21 10:08:59 2000 From: jaapk at wins.uva.nl (Jaap Kaandorp) Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 16:08:59 +0100 (MET) Subject: Symposium modelling growth and form during HPCN2000 Amsterdam Message-ID: <200002211508.QAA24090@lek.wins.uva.nl> ____________________________________________________________________________ SYMPOSIUM MODELLING AND SIMULATION OF MORPHOGENESIS AND PATTERN FORMATION IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE Satellite event of the 8th International Conference on High Performance Computing and Networking (HPCN 2000) conference (May 8 - 10, 2000, Amsterdam) (for more information see http://www.wins.uva.nl/events/HPCN2000/GF2000/) ABSTRACT A fundamental question in biology is how the interplay between the genome and the physical environment drives pattern formation and morphogenesis. Before long this question has been adressed in experimental studies. Already since the pioneering work of Turing (1952) and Lindenmayer (1968), simulation models have been used, in addition to in vivo and in vitro experiments, to study pattern formation and morphogenesis. With the availability of new computational techniques (particle-based techniques as for example lattice gases and the lattice Boltzmann method) in combination with large scale computing facilities, in silico experiments are becoming more and more an important option to study this question and investigate self-organisation and emergent behaviour in biological systems. Furthermore an enormous amount of progress has been made this last decade within the developmental biology of metazoans, with the discovery of some of the genes controlling how an embryo develops. Also, the genomes of some important experimental organisms have now been or are now being elucidated. Potentially this combination of new discoveries in developmental biological and new computational techniques may advance this field enormously. Work on morphogenesis and pattern formation, using modelling and simulation in addition to in vitro an in vivo experiments, has many implications for research in medicine and biology. Examples are studies on carcinogenesis, studies on regeneration capabilities and ecological studies on growth and form and the impact of the physical environment. SPONSORS The symposium is supported by the Dutch foundation for Scientific Research PROGRAM May 10, 2000 10:15 - 11:00 Pattern formation in biological excitable systems; the morphogenesis of Dictyostelium - Kees Weijer (Anatomy Department, University of Dundee, United Kingdom) 11:00 - 11:45 On the way to the virtual heart- Sasha Panfilov (Theoretical Biology / Bioinformatics Group Utrecht University, The Netherlands) 11:45 - 12:30 Formation of embryonic axes and organizing regions - Hans Meinhardt (Max-Planck-Institut fuer Entwicklungsbiologie, Tuebingen, Germany) 12:45 - 14.15 Lunch 14.15 - 15.00 Modelling growth and form of sponges and stony-corals and the influence of the environment - Jaap Kaandorp (Section Computational Science, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) 15.00 - 15.45 A three dimensional model of cell movement in multicellular systems - Eirikur Palsson (Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, USA) REGISTRATION The number of participants for this symposium is limited and registration in advance is required. Please send by email the registration form to: Joost Bijlmer, hpcn2k at wins.uva.nl _______________________________________________________________________ REGISTRATION FORM Symposium modelling and simulation of morphogenesis and pattern formation in biology and medicine o Mr o Ms Family name _______________________________________________________ First name ________________________________ Title _________________ Function __________________________________________________________ Institution _______________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________ Code / City _______________________________________________________ Country ___________________________________________________________ Telephone ______________________ Telefax __________________________ E-mail ____________________________________________________________ Please tick the appropriate boxes: o I have already registered for the HPCN Europe 2000 conference o I only register for this symposium (Dutch participants do not have pay a registration fee, other participants have to pay a registration fee for this symposium of DFL 150 at the registration desk of the conference. For hotel reservations please contact the Conference Office (see http://www.wins.uva.nl/events/HPCN2000/) ____________________________________________________________________________ From skelton_p at student.usp.ac.fj Mon Feb 21 19:52:48 2000 From: skelton_p at student.usp.ac.fj (skelton_p at student.usp.ac.fj) Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 12:52:48 +1200 Subject: SOFT CORAL W/SHOP - FIJI Message-ID: <01JM7LQFELVA004NYT@usp.ac.fj> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 1999 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000222/0baf6e2c/attachment.bin From raleighcom at btl.net Tue Feb 22 13:01:15 2000 From: raleighcom at btl.net (Raleigh International Belize) Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 18:01:15 GMT Subject: Epoxy in filling of Coral cores? Message-ID: <200002221801.SAA51237@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Dear Coral List, I am seeking advice on the best type of Epoxy resin to use for the = infilling of a coral core hole, to prevent infection of the sampled = colony. We believe resin is provides the best chance of tissue regrowth = and a practical solution to protecting a sampled massive coarl, does the = list agree? A minimal number of cores will be taken, as part of our three year study = here on the Belizean barrier reef. We are interested in the impact of = increasing agricultural land use and the subsequent increasing sediment = loads on the coral reef. Any advice would be much appreciated, and a = good supplier in the U.S. a bonus.=20 Also I would be very interested in observing a coral spawning event. Are = any of the major species included in the following families = (Poritidae,Siderastreidae,Faviidae, Agariciidae,etc) be spawning = between now and May 10th? =20 Thanks for your time and attention,=20 Paul Nelson Raleigh International Marine Scientist (1 of 4!) From carlson at soest.hawaii.edu Tue Feb 22 13:56:10 2000 From: carlson at soest.hawaii.edu (Bruce Carlson) Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 08:56:10 -1000 Subject: Epoxy in filling of Coral cores? References: <200002221801.SAA51237@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Message-ID: <002c01bf7d66$7c7bfd60$22477aa6@waquarium.org> Z-Spar Splash Zone epoxy is safe to use with corals. Buy it in one gallon cans (two-parts). Mix it on the boat before going underwater and it will be good for at least 30 minutes before it begins to harden; it takes several hours to harden completely. We use it a lot for fixing corals to rocks. It appears to have no affect on "delicate" reef fishes even in closed-system aquariums. You can buy Z-Spar products at boat/yacht supply stores. Epoxy putty in stick form, where Part A is rolled around Part B, is not as satisfactory. It does not "stick" as well as the Z-Spar to coral surfaces. Neither of these products "pours". They are like putty so the best you could do would be to plug the hole but not fill it. Another product that does pour is araldite epoxy resin (Civa-Geigy). It is supplied in three parts that have to be mixed shortly before pouring (3 parts GY 237 or 507 resin to 1 part Y 830 hardener and 1 part HY 850 hardener). I have not used this product so I cannot tell you how it might affect corals. If you drill vertically into corals, you might also consider pouring in a cement-plaster mix. Carry it dry underwater in plastic bags, mix with seawater when you're ready to use it, then "pour" it down the hole. Bruce Carlson Waikiki Aquarium ----- Original Message ----- From: Raleigh International Belize To: Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 8:01 AM Subject: Epoxy in filling of Coral cores? > Dear Coral List, > > I am seeking advice on the best type of Epoxy resin to use for the = > infilling of a coral core hole, to prevent infection of the sampled = > colony. We believe resin is provides the best chance of tissue regrowth = > and a practical solution to protecting a sampled massive coarl, does the = > list agree? > > A minimal number of cores will be taken, as part of our three year study = > here on the Belizean barrier reef. We are interested in the impact of = > increasing agricultural land use and the subsequent increasing sediment = > loads on the coral reef. Any advice would be much appreciated, and a = > good supplier in the U.S. a bonus.=20 > > Also I would be very interested in observing a coral spawning event. Are = > any of the major species included in the following families = > (Poritidae,Siderastreidae,Faviidae, Agariciidae,etc) be spawning = > between now and May 10th? =20 > > Thanks for your time and attention,=20 > > Paul Nelson > > > Raleigh International Marine Scientist (1 of 4!) > > From joanna.frame at soton.uni.ntl.com Tue Feb 22 14:42:39 2000 From: joanna.frame at soton.uni.ntl.com (Joanna Frame) Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 19:42:39 +0000 Subject: Gastrotrichs Message-ID: <38B2E6AF.CC03A382@soton.uni.ntl.com> Dear coral listers, I need information on Gastrotrichs. I am finding it incredibly difficult and I was wondering if anyone knew of any references or websites which might be able to help me? Thank you very much for your time and help Joanna Frame University of Southampton From Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov Wed Feb 23 03:33:22 2000 From: Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov (Alan E. Strong) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 03:33:22 -0500 Subject: New Bleaching Indices Message-ID: <38B39B51.A6A3A911@nesdis.noaa.gov> NOTICE -- New Experimental "Coral Bleaching Indices" -- NOW ON-LINE Coral Reef Bleaching Indices: - NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) inaugurated February 22, 2000, a new on-line "Coral Reef Bleaching Indices" page. This release is timed to closely coincide with the Department of Commerce's hosting of the US Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF), March 2. Encouraged by the CRTF, this web-site shows, at a glance, key parameters for coral reef bleaching at 24 chosen sites throughout the global reef community: 6- Atlantic Ocean ; 6 - Indian Ocean; and 12- Pacific Ocean. Links are included that allows the visitor access to additional relevant on-line information. These links will continue to be enhanced to hopefully generate much needed calibrations and validations from our users in the field. Parameters being displayed included: Current temperature; expected maximum summertime value; accumulations of potential bleaching thermal stress, "degree heating weeks (DHW)," for past 12 weeks (3 months); highest DHW accumulations seen during past 10 years for this same period. Site name "blinks" when real-time SSTs exceed maximum summertime SST expected (climatology) -- this black blinking name will convert to "red" whenever the SST reaches (or exceeds) a level that is one degree (C) above the expected summertime value. New Indices are seen at: http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/dhw_news.html or may be reached through the NOAA's Bleaching HotSpot website at: http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html We look forward to your feedback (form provided) as we seek ways to serve you better. AE Strong -- **** <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ***** Alan E. Strong Phys Scientist/Oceanographer NOAA/NESDIS/ORA/ORAD -- E/RA3 NOAA Science Center -- RM 711W 5200 Auth Road Camp Springs, MD 20746-4304 Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov 301-763-8102 x170 FAX: 301-763-8108 http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/orad -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000223/6abbc23d/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: astrong.vcf Type: text/x-vcard Size: 188 bytes Desc: Card for Alan E. Strong Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000223/6abbc23d/attachment.vcf From simoneso at openlink.com.br Tue Feb 22 17:49:58 2000 From: simoneso at openlink.com.br (Simone Siag Oigman) Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 19:49:58 -0300 Subject: Repeated messages Message-ID: <004901bf7d88$13ff83c0$9936bcc8@siag> Like Jaime Garzon Ferreira, I have been receiving each message twice during the last week. From bob at cadpros.com Sat Feb 19 22:18:45 2000 From: bob at cadpros.com (Bob Mankin) Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 19:18:45 -0800 Subject: CITES stuff References: <200002161216.IAA13578@ns1.carats.net> <38AACF76.9B794ACE@biologia.univalle.edu.co> Message-ID: <38AF5D15.6C34DE71@cadpros.com> "Fernando A. Zapata" wrote: > > Please correct me if I'm wrong, but paradoxically it was thanks to science > and scientists that conservation of species and habitats became an > important issue. It is a shame that laws and regulations such as CITES are > now preventing scientists from doing their work, or at least making it > really difficult. I know of at least two instances (one in which I was > directly involved) of international scientific cooperation completely > halted because of CITES. What's worse, at least in my country, while we > scientists try to do things correctly (and therefore go through the hassle > of resquesting permits) almost any one can just go and collect anything > without asking anyone for permits for whatever non-scientific use. And > nothing happens. So something must be really wrong here. Fernando, Please correct me if I am wrong, but at the time Scleractinia was added to the Appendix II of CITES, there was little to no scientific data to support such a move as being necessary. I believe the move was made by environmentalist interests rather than the scientific community. I mean think about it. What majority interest in the 1970s was saying that coral reefs were in immanent danger and why did they only propose the species that they did? I was recently reading a hand written paper done by someone familiar with the proceedings that year that said it was basically pushed through with little or no debate due to the fact everyone was in such an uproar over the ivory issue at the time. They had debated that one so long and hard that by the time the coral listing was put forth, any opposing viewpoints were already worn down. Opportunistic if you ask me. Now realizing that these comments are like kicking a hornets nest, I would like to remind contrary views that you will need to provide data pre 1977 to support the idea that this App. II addition was done with solid scientific study and backing. Anything since then doesn't aid the argument. Bob Mankin From bob at cadpros.com Sat Feb 19 22:10:52 2000 From: bob at cadpros.com (Bob Mankin) Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 19:10:52 -0800 Subject: References: Message-ID: <38AF5B3C.47B847BD@cadpros.com> "James M. Cervino" wrote: > > James comments: > I agree that this has happened, however there are still shipments that make > it through that contain endangered species all the time. Shell World and > Evolution display (for sale) Helipora which is an endangered species. These > particular merchants profit from corals and other endangered species. I > think the CITES agents are short handed and need help, they are probably > doing the best that they can with the limited staff they have. They need > more agents, that are trained in coral ID. My question is, WHY would the > agents themselves want to hinder the trade, it is possible that they > witnessed more than sand grains attached to the bottom of a leather coral. > They are also responsible for catching some of the shipments that are > trying to make it through illegally. Also the corals that are collected > are harvested in abundance with no regulation, similar to clear cutting. > There is not one indigenous family that I have spoken to that is claiming > that this destructive practice benefits them and their families for the > long term. They all claim that their particular reefs were in better shape > before collection and NaCN fishing started. As Charles has asked, what endangered species are you referring to? The "CITIES agents" are actually U.S Fish & Wildlife authorities who's job it is to spot inspect shipments arriving through major ports of entry such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami. This is an overworked, understaffed bunch if there ever was one and to suggest that you are going to require them to "go to school" to learn coral ID is a bit much, IMHO. Like it or not, politics are at play here. There are reputable importers who have no trouble at all with inspections, then there are those who may try to slide something by or may attempt a shipment without all the proper paperwork in place and that's just asking for trouble. The authorities get wise to this quite quickly and there are those that come under much more scrutiny than others when it comes time for inspections. Also, live coral collection facilities with which I am familiar do not clear cut and most certainly do not operate with "no regulation". Just about any island nation involved in this trade today has some type of local governing body who oversees the industry. Some are members of CITIES and as such have documents and permits that follow those required by the treaty. Others, the Solomons being a prime example, have Fisheries agencies that require paperwork that is equivalent to CITIES documents. Without them, you simply do not export. And certainly you are not going to suggest that shipments are arriving into LAX without supporting paperwork, are you? You'll be suggesting that USF&W is turning a blind eye to the majority of shipments into the US! If you wish to illustrate a particular example of a seized shipment, you will need to provide details of why it was seized in the first place. On several occasions I have heard of shipments being confiscated simply because paperwork was not correctly filled out, not because any animal within the shipment was necessarily illegal to collect or ship. Just curious; if Heliopora sp. is illegal as you claim, why is USF&W clearing shipments of corals with Heliopora sp. plainly listed down to the genus on the very forms they are stamping as "cleared" at LAX? > The species of Helipora I mention above were fresh and not sitting in a > warehouse for 10 years. > > On Fri, 19 Feb 2000, J. Charles Delbeek wrote: > The US is still the main importer in the world of live coral, but when you > comapre the amounts to the trade in dead corals, corals harvested by locals > for lime production for roads and buildings, it pales in comparison. If we > really want to protect coral reefs in these countries, then maybe we should > send them a few tons of Portland cement and other construction materials? > > James comments: > Giving countries funds for cement (or the actual cement) as a deterrent > from destroying reefs is a great Idea! Another alternative for protecting > reefs can be to propagate corals in captivity. Preventing any sale and > import of wild caught corals. The Geothermal Aquacultural Research > Foundation is showing that this can be an sustainable alternative from > importing any WILD collected corals. Here is their Web Site : > http://www.garf.org/29/PIC/3RD.html GARF's offerings are limited and those parent stock must come from somewhere. Don't think for a second that the existing parent stock within the industry are sufficient to sustain only captive bred animals from this point forward. The captive bred industry is still in its infancy and we still have much to learn with respect to propagation of many of these animals. And since you seem to like their twist, take a look at http://www.garf.org/news25p1.html#unit the first two pictures. That's ocean cultured stock, not captive. > Also another research group from the Solomon Islands is implementing a > program to grow corals in coastal areas. > Here is their Organizational Information: The Coastal Aquaculture Center in > the Solomon Islands is part of the larger, international scientific and > technical organization, ICLARM, headquartered in the Philippines. The > Center's work is aimed to produce income and/or protein from coral reef > habitats on a sustainable basis for the benefit of developing countries. > The Center actively promotes marine protected areas and the integration of > traditional knowledge in managing yields from coral reefs. Liberation of > hatchery reared juveniles to enhance recruitment levels for giant calms, > pearl oysters, beche-de-mer and fish is conducted by ICLARM, as is > development of methods to farm giant clams and pearl oysters, using low > cost technology that is suitable for village communities. In addition, the > Center is developing trade in farmed LIVE CORAL ANIMALS. Actually ICLARM has little to do with the current farming operations in the Solomons. It has been suggested on this list before that ICLARM initiated the cultured coral trade there and that is not correct. As a matter of fact, ICLARM in the Solomons is currently closed, per instructions from the financiers in the Philippines due to ongoing civil unrest near their facility. A final decision about their fate is due to be made next month, but at the moment it is not looking good for them remaining in business. For the record, ICLARM is already well versed in giant clam culturing. The industry is highly successful and a victim of it's own success to some degree in that cultured clam farming production has far outpaced demand in the seafood industry. The Solomon Islands alone have something like 50-60,000 T. derasa clams in grow out at this very moment, some as large as 25 cm and no market for them! > I think these applications will work to help indigenous peoples protect > their ecosystems for the long term, and put an END to wild caught or > collected corals and fishes. To say that road construction, siltation, > bleaching,diseases and storm damage are the real problem and that coral > and fish collection is minor or "pale" is an understatement. Despite the > fact that these other factors are worse than coral collection, it is still > a fact that the collection of corals is destructive and having an > additional damaging impact on reefs, lets promote other sustainable methods > for fish and coral collection.Such as; farming in coastal areas, > propagation in aquara in the USA, and fish collection methods like the IMA > are implementing. James, I'm having a problem with some of the facts as you interpret them. To think that an outright ban on fish and coral collection implemented immediately is going to resolve a significant part of the problem is just plain ridiculous. Responsible reef management programs can be implemented and made to work. To simply shut down an industry that you do not agree with is reckless from the standpoint that you have not offered these people any alternatives for sustaining themselves. Perhaps you would rather see them support logging or gold mining operations and all the wonderful runoff issues associated with them?? The Solomons farming operation is a shining example of villagers being shown a low impact trade that can also illustrate to them responsible reef management. The curio trade has been shut down in the areas where farming operations are ongoing and the villagers now understand the value associated with these less destructive practices. In the past you have offered examples of coral collecting that quite honestly are not an accurate description of the way the industry works. I'm specifically referring to your description of the collection of Plerogyra sp. in Malaysia a few months back. First of all, if you in fact were watching such collection, what you witnessed was an illegal act since no one is allow to collect there. Secondly, no collector in their right mind would be "clear cutting" any given species of coral in any area. Corals don't grow like a field of corn with nice uniform sizes that you come along and harvest once they reach salable size. In the case of the Plerogyra, you could find everything from specimens in the 3-5 cm size up to 30+ cm. You are talking about common villagers carrying animals with buckets. Place a small salable animal of say 6 cm in your bucket with another large animal of 30 cm and what you end up with after bouncy boat ride home is a destroyed baby coral. Sorry, but this simply doesn't happen and for the same reasons you wouldn't be collecting all sizes of an Acropora sp. either. After a certain size, which varies from species to species, you simply cannot ship them with ANY reasonable chance of them making it to their destination alive. As such the collectors have a cutoff point, it being determined based on years of experience, over which they will not touch. The suggestion of clear cutting is a scare tactic, and is not reality. If you are having trouble locating indigenous people who are sustaining themselves within this industry, perhaps I can offer some contact names for your next trip to the South Pacific. You earlier stated that no one within this industry is supporting themselves long term and I can point you to fishermen who have been doing so for nearly 40 yrs. Granted, the irresponsible "newbies" who are using destructive practices such as dynamite or NaCN in the Philippines(some even for the live food trade!) are not going to make it long term. But those are extreme examples and certainly not an accurate reflection on the industry as a whole. I've been reluctant to get involved with these debates again, but this morning I had the displeasure of reading a very disturbing LA Times article that poorly reflected on this industry and was clearly written by someone who knows NOTHING about which they were writing. I've never seen such a lousy and inaccurate portrayal in one piece of print. And now this thread. With the USCRTF meeting coming up, it would appear the the interest groups are really winding up. Sorry that we didn't get to see your presentation at the MAC Conference in Hawaii in November. Was looking forward to hearing the data in support of the industry numbers you suggested on this list some months ago. Still trying to grasp the logistical possibility of those being accurate. Will we be seeing those in print in another forum or some other media perhaps? Respectfully, Bob Mankin From Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov Tue Feb 22 21:04:38 2000 From: Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov (Jim Hendee) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 02:04:38 GMT Subject: Repeated messages Message-ID: <200002230204.CAA51402@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> "me too!" On Tue, 22 Feb 2000, Simone Siag Oigman wrote: > Like Jaime Garzon Ferreira, I have been receiving each message twice during > the last week. From gene at fearless.er.usgs.gov Wed Feb 23 14:42:02 2000 From: gene at fearless.er.usgs.gov (Gene Shinn) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 14:42:02 -0500 Subject: Mini Symposium at Bali Coral Reef Symposium Message-ID: A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 1872 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000223/9f96fc7b/attachment.bin From cnidaria at earthlink.net Wed Feb 23 15:06:35 2000 From: cnidaria at earthlink.net (James M. Cervino) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 15:06:35 -0500 Subject: Coral Collection Message-ID: POST: Also, live coral collection facilities with which I am familiar do not clear cut and most certainly do not operate with "no regulation". Just about any island nation involved in this trade today has some type of local governing body who oversees the industry. James: I have not seen this "local governing body" over seeing the collection methods. Tell me where they operate and I would like to visit this regulated team of environmentally passionate collectors. Or are you referring to what you are being told in the USA by the overseas wholesalers? Why is it that these governing bodies are not (while collecting corals) stopping the dynamite fishing and NaCN fishing that are damaging their beautiful reefs? I am not saying that they are doing this on top of each other, however, they must hear the blasting in close proximity to where they are collecting? One would think that these eco sensitive collectors would have an influence on these groups who are applying destructive methods? Every area that I have seen was overexploited by all types of collectors, period. Have you seen the areas outside the Philippines? POST: Others, the Solomon's being a prime example, have Fisheries agencies that require paperwork that is equivalent to CITIES documents. Without them, you simply do not export. And certainly you are not going to suggest that shipments are arriving into LAX without supporting paperwork, are you? James: Where did I suggest this? GARF's offerings are limited and those parent stock must come from somewhere. Don't think for a second that the existing parent stock within the industry are sufficient to sustain only captive bred animals from this point forward. The captive bred industry is still in its infancy and we still have much to learn with respect to propagation of many of these animals. And since you seem to like their twist, take a look at http://www.garf.org/news25p1.html#unit the first two pictures. That's ocean cultured stock, not captive. James: I agree that there is a parent stock that came from somewhere. All I am saying is that there are highly skilled people doing this, why not just purchase the corals from each other? Do you not care about the reef environment enough to want positive change ? Do you really think that the current methods are sound? Given the CURRENT status of reefs today why can you not see this as destructive? I guess you don't, and there is nothing I can do to change your mind. Reefs are experiencing numerous threats from a multiple of factors. At the number of places I have visited in the past 20 years, I have not seen any positive regulation at the SITES of collection and fishing. As far as the coastal peoples collecting in these nations, they are suffering in the long run due to the current applications applied. The reason I became vocal was due to the suffering I see from the current applications used in this trade. I think you need to visit some of these areas. You might end up with a different opinion. POSTING: To think that an outright ban on fish and coral collection implemented immediately is going to resolve a significant part of the problem is just plain ridiculous. Responsible reef management programs can be implemented and made to work. JAMES POST: Who are these groups, I would love to visit these sites?? . Also, I am offering alternative methods, farming similar to the group in the Solomon's. We are never going to agree, and I apologize to the list for constantly debating with the aquarium advocates, and I will e-mail with you directly. Again please read what I am saying: Coral Farming Programs, Net collection methods as the IMA are applying, and closed system aquarium sales. I posted with alternative methods from Web Sites I saw on line. *************************************** James M. Cervino Marine Biologist Dept. of Biology/Geology 471 University Pkwy. Aiken South Carolina Zip: 29801 e-mail :cnidaria at earthlink.net *************************************** From corals at caribe.net Wed Feb 23 15:00:18 2000 From: corals at caribe.net (CORALations) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 16:00:18 -0400 Subject: Vieques and Task Force Meeting Participants Message-ID: <004c01bf7e38$c9e8aa80$1ec85bd1@default> Yahoo! News - Associated Press PhotoMary Ann Lucking (corals at caribe.net) has sent you a news article. Please scroll down to view photo and attached message to coral-list members. -------------------- Tens of thousands of people march through a San Juan, Puerto Rico Monday Feb. 21, 2000. Summoned by Puerto Rico's top religious leaders, demonstrators staged a silent march Monday to protest the planned resumption of U.S. Navy training on the island of Vieques.(Ap Photo/Andres Tirado) -- Puerto Rico Out, Mags Out -- Associated Press Photo http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/p/ap/20000221/wl/puerto_rico_us_navy_afu.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- News Home - Yahoo! - Help -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press Photo Monday 21 February 2000 Photo Galleries: Top Stories - International - Sports - Entertainment - Public Opinion Tens of thousands of people march through a San Juan, Puerto Rico Monday Feb. 21, 2000. Summoned by Puerto Rico's top religious leaders, demonstrators staged a silent march Monday to protest the planned resumption of U.S. Navy training on the island of Vieques.(Ap Photo/Andres Tirado) -- Puerto Rico Out, Mags Out -- E-mail this photo Personal message: CALL TO ACTION: Coral Reef Executive Task Force Advisors and Participants Attention Coral Reef Experts and NGO's planning to present or submit comments at the next Coral Reef Executive Task Force Meeting. As you know, we have many water quality issues in Puerto Rico and the USVI's that demand attention if we are to reverse the destruction to our coral reefs. Today we ask that you help us focus the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force on one important issue. The United States Navy plans to resume "inert" target practice on the coral reefs and target range of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques for three more years. We ask: how can three more years "make or break" our national security? In terms of coral reef conservation, however, we realize that three years may be all we have left in many coastal areas. What does this say about the U.S. commitment to coral reef conservation in principle? What kind of an example does it set to other nations when the United States attempts to buy permission to destroy coral reefs or tropical coastline from the people who live near them? What does this say about how the U.S. places value on human dignity? In our opinion, this not only represents an environmental issue of global significance, but it represents a human rights issue of moral significance. Over 9,000 people inhabit the island of Vieques: people at risk every time an ordnance, even an inert ordnance, drops off target. If the inert ordnance impacts on target, it releases clouds of contaminants into the air. (The U.S. Navy has admitted using depleted uranium on Vieques.) This could be impacting the health and environment of many people on Vieques and adjacent islands. Nobody knows, and yet the U.S. Navy (which calls the inert bombs "green" ordnance) plans to resume air to ground practice maneuvers. On the coral reefs of Vieques scientists documented a sunken barge full of barrels of unknown contents which would be released to the water if an inert missile were to impact it. How can this be considered "green." To date, nobody knows the extent of contamination of these areas, yet they plan to resume practice. Does this contamination give us the green light to further contaminate, in the hopes that other "pristine" (if there are such areas left) are spared? We say no. Even if you are able to ignore the serious human rights issue, allowing further contamination of these ecosystems sets a very dangerous precedent for all of the anthropogenic sources that impact our declining reef systems. The time for discussions of coral reef conservation has past. We are now discussing restoration. Although the military contends that such practice activities on Vieques are paramount to the national security of the United States, everyone should know that Vieques generates revenue for the U.S. Navy who lease the island to foreign nations for similar practice maneuvers. Although we are now focusing on air to ground maneuvers, immeasurable activity is also taking place under water in the Caribbean region, as nuclear submarines are often seen in our waters participating in underwater military war games. There is no time for the Executive Tasks Force's Oversight Policy, if implemented, to take meaningful action on this issue. As advisors to the President on the crisis facing our coral reef ecosystem and all the life this ecosystem supports on a global scale, we ask that everyone mention at the next meeting (in verbal presentations or in written comments) just two points: 1) We do not have the luxury of targeting these biologically diverse and already threatened ecosystems, and, 2) Not One More Bomb, inert or otherwise, should be dropped on the Island of Vieques. By helping, you are joining in the march you see pictured above, where 100,000 + U.S. citizens carried the non-political white flags of PEACE FOR VIEQUES: a democratic and peaceful demonstration given little or no national coverage on United States television. In this way you can stand in solidarity with the local NGO's developing clean-up and conservation initiatives IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY of Vieques. The future of the world's coral reefs depends on effective change now. Please take a few minutes to include a brief statement to the United States Coral Reef Task Force about Vieques. Sincerely, Mary Ann Lucking Project Coordinator CORALations corals at caribe.net Related Story - 80,000 Protest Navy in Puerto Rico (Associated Press) Related Searches puerto rico us navy news - photos Search News Search Stories Search Photos Search Full Coverage -------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright ? 1996-2000 Associated Press -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000223/e68194e2/attachment.html From jopitt at sargasso.bbsr.edu Wed Feb 23 14:24:15 2000 From: jopitt at sargasso.bbsr.edu (Jo Pitt) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 16:24:15 -0300 Subject: fish and wood preservatives Message-ID: Hi Fish- and Coral-listers I have a question regarding the use of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) pressure treated pine as pilings for marine structures. A new "eco-resort" has designed their "environmentally sensitive" tents to stand on pilings of this material. 5 of these tents will located in 6 feet of water, a further 23 on the foreshore with one or more supports located in the intertidal zone, and there will be 80 or so similar tents on land using the same pilings to anchor them in the ground. There will be walkways connecting the nearshore tents to the shore, and these will also use the CCA treated pine. Does anyone know of any studies which have monitored how CCA treated wood affects marine organisms. Obviously they don't like it (!) and the point of using it is that sessile benthos will not settle on it or bore into it. But do the chemicals leach out of the wood into the water? And if so, what does CCA do to fish? And corals? Is leaching affected by temperatures or salinity? How far might the leachate spread and how conservative is it? A pilot tent has already been begun on land, but I have only just learnt of the use of CCA treated wood and I need info in a hurry in order to hopefully persuade the developers to use an alternate anchoring method. 10" pvc piping filled with concrete would probably be much more suitable (for the marine environment at least), but I would also welcome any input in that area. Thanks in advance for your help. Jo Joanna Pitt, Ph.D. Benthic Ecology Program Bermuda Biological Station Ferry Reach Bermuda From carlson at soest.hawaii.edu Wed Feb 23 16:44:26 2000 From: carlson at soest.hawaii.edu (Bruce Carlson) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 11:44:26 -1000 Subject: Coral Collection References: Message-ID: <001701bf7e47$287690e0$22477aa6@waquarium.org> James, You may be right, and the others may be right. What is lacking are data to help determine who is correct. In Hawaii, Brian Tissot finally obtained convincing evidence that tropical fish collecting does significantly deplete target species. He approached the problem from an analytical point of view and I think clearly demonstrated that tropical fish collecting has an impact on target fish populations (although he could not find any negative environmental impacts,e.g., increased algal growth due to lack of herbivores), nor was there any suggestion that any species was being depleted to the point of extinction (which some people passionately argued was occurring). But partly as a result of his studies, the reef resources on the Big Island are now partitioned: dive boat operators and others have 30% of the coastline completely protected from tropical fish collectors, while 70% of the coastline is still open to collecting. Surveys will be continued to determine if the fish populations in the closed areas recover and how quickly. My point is that the same kind of research work needs to be done for coral collecting. In Fiji, where I am most familiar with coral collecting activities, I have had serious concerns. It just "seems" intuitive that if tons of rock and live coral are removed from a reef there must be a horrendous impact. But when I (casually) look at the reefs where collecting of live rocks and corals has occurred it's hard to find anything amiss. Collectors target smaller corals and leave the large corals intact (hobbyists don't want large corals). One could argue that removing "juvenile" corals may eventually affect the reef, but you could also argue that if the large breeding colonies remain intact there could be continuous recruitment and perhaps a sustainable resource. No one needs a lecture about science as a "way of knowing", but clearly that is what is needed to help resolve this problem. Ed Lovell has conducted a study in Fiji on coral and live rock collecting, and he too found no negative impacts (do you have access to his report?). There are some concerns about his study, but it was a good first attempt. I think it would be great for someone concerned about this problem to independently (and objectively) survey those same reefs, or other reefs where coral collecting is occurring. Until we get data similar to those that Dr. Tissot collected for reef fishes, most arguments about coral collecting will continue to be based on opinion and passion, which generates a lot of heat (and regulations!) but little light. Aloha Bruce Carlson Waikiki Aquarium ----- Original Message ----- From: James M. Cervino To: Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2000 10:06 AM Subject: Coral Collection > POST: Also, live coral collection facilities with which I am familiar do not > clear cut and most certainly do not operate with "no regulation". Just > about any island nation involved in this trade today has some type of > local governing body who oversees the industry. > > James: I have not seen this "local governing body" over seeing the > collection methods. Tell me where they operate and I would like to visit > this regulated team of environmentally passionate collectors. Or are you > referring to what you are being told in the USA by the overseas > wholesalers? Why is it that these governing bodies are not (while > collecting corals) stopping the dynamite fishing and NaCN fishing that are > damaging their beautiful reefs? I am not saying that they are doing this on > top of each other, however, they must hear the blasting in close proximity > to where they are collecting? One would think that these eco sensitive > collectors would have an influence on these groups who are applying > destructive methods? Every area that I have seen was overexploited by all > types of collectors, period. Have you seen the areas outside the > Philippines? > > > > POST: Others, the Solomon's being a prime example, have Fisheries agencies > that require paperwork that is equivalent to CITIES documents. Without > them, you simply do not export. And certainly you are not going to suggest > that shipments are arriving into LAX without > supporting paperwork, are you? > > James: Where did I suggest this? > > > > GARF's offerings are limited and those parent stock must come from > somewhere. Don't think for a second that the existing parent stock > within the industry are sufficient to sustain only captive bred animals > from this point forward. The captive bred industry is still in its > infancy and we still have much to learn with respect to propagation of > many of these animals. And since you seem to like their twist, take a > look at http://www.garf.org/news25p1.html#unit the first two pictures. > That's ocean cultured stock, not captive. > > > James: I agree that there is a parent stock that came from somewhere. All I > am saying is that there are highly skilled people doing this, why not just > purchase the corals from each other? Do you not care about the reef > environment enough to want positive change ? Do you really think that the > current methods are sound? Given the CURRENT status of reefs today why can > you not see this as destructive? I guess you don't, and there is nothing I > can do to change your mind. Reefs are experiencing numerous threats from a > multiple of factors. At the number of places I have visited in the past 20 > years, I have not seen any positive regulation at the SITES of collection > and fishing. As far as the coastal peoples collecting in these nations, > they are suffering in the long run due to the current applications applied. > The reason I became vocal was due to the suffering I see from the current > applications used in this trade. I think you need to visit some of these > areas. You might end up with a different opinion. > > > POSTING: To think that an outright ban on fish and coral collection > implemented immediately is going to resolve a significant part of the > problem is just plain ridiculous. Responsible reef management programs > can be implemented and made to work. > > JAMES POST: Who are these groups, I would love to visit these sites?? . > Also, I am offering alternative methods, farming similar to the group in > the Solomon's. We are never going to agree, and I apologize to the list > for constantly debating with the aquarium advocates, and I will e-mail with > you directly. Again please read what I am saying: Coral Farming Programs, > Net collection methods as the IMA are applying, and closed system aquarium > sales. I posted with alternative methods from Web Sites I saw on line. > > > > *************************************** > James M. Cervino > Marine Biologist > Dept. of Biology/Geology > 471 University Pkwy. Aiken > South Carolina Zip: 29801 > e-mail :cnidaria at earthlink.net > *************************************** > > > From gregorh at pacific.net.hk Wed Feb 23 22:01:27 2000 From: gregorh at pacific.net.hk (Gregor Hodgson) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:01:27 +0800 Subject: New Coral Collection/Trade/Cites Publication References: <001701bf7e47$287690e0$22477aa6@waquarium.org> Message-ID: <38B49F07.BB5BC5FB@pacific.net.hk> An excellent new review publication on these subjects is: "The Global Trade in Coral" pp. 70 Ed Green and Francis Shirley 1999 World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Rd. Cambridge CB3 ODL UK Fax: +1223-277136 Email: Edmund Green Also includes citations of quantitative studies and fisheries stock assessments of coral harvesting in Hawaii and the Philippines e.g.: Ross, M. 1984. A quantitative study of the stony coral fishery in Cebu, Philippines. Marine Ecology 5(1):75-91. Grigg, R.W. 1984. Resource Management of Precious Corals: A review and application to shallow water reef building corals. Marine Ecology 5(1)57-74. But they seem to have missed helpful publications such as: Wells, S., P. Holthus, J. Maragos. 1994. Environmental guidelines for coral harvesting operations. SPREP Studies Series No. 75. P.O. Box 240 Apia, Samoa Stoney coral harvesting on Oahu. 1978. R.E. Johannes. HIMB Tech Report (available from Hawaii Inst. Mar. Biology Library) -- Gregor Hodgson, PhD Coordinator, Reef Check Global Survey Program GPO Box 12375, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2802-6937 Fax: (852) 2887-5454 Email: gregorh at pacific.net.hk Web: www.ReefCheck.org From reefchck at ust.hk Wed Feb 23 22:54:10 2000 From: reefchck at ust.hk (Reef Check) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:54:10 +0800 Subject: Reef Check 99 Data Message-ID: <38B4AB62.E835BCF4@ust.hk> To All 1999 Reef Check Teams As part of our final checking of the 1999 dataset, we are asking all teams to review the attached list of countries and datasets. As some of you know, we suffered a hard disk crash recently so we want to make sure that our back-up dataset is 100% complete. Could you please take a moment to check the list? If you carried out an RC survey in 1999 and your dataset does not appear on our list, please send the dataset immediately to Thank you for your continuing support. Keith Kei Assistant Coordinator -- Gregor Hodgson, PhD Coordinator, Reef Check Global Survey Program GPO Box 12375, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2802-6937 Fax: (852) 2887-5454 Email: gregorh at pacific.net.hk Web: www.ReefCheck.org -- Keith Kei Assistant Coordinator, Reef Check Foundation GPO Box 12375, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 9777-2517 Email: keithkei at ust.hk Web: www.ReefCheck.org -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Data List.doc Type: application/msword Size: 25088 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000224/1174e2cc/attachment.doc From Walt.Jaap at dep.state.fl.us Wed Feb 23 15:04:15 2000 From: Walt.Jaap at dep.state.fl.us (Walt Jaap STP) Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 15:04:15 -0500 (EST) Subject: Epoxy in filling of Coral cores? Message-ID: <200002241024.KAA75328@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Replacement plugs for coral cores have been constructed from portland cement and secured in place with hydraulic cement and marine epoxy, both have proven successful and coral will grow back over the filling. You can also backfill the core hole with appropriate limestone rubble and put a patch of hydraulic cement or epoxy over the top. Marine epoxy in small quatities can be purchased from a hardware or boating specalty stores. If you are purchasing huge quantities, then give Neptune Research, 561-683-6992 a call or Jack Villas and Associates at 800-255-4643. Good luck. From korrubelj at science.unp.ac.za Thu Feb 24 05:30:00 2000 From: korrubelj at science.unp.ac.za (Jan Korrubel) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 10:30:00 GMT Subject: Reefs in Thailand..... Message-ID: <200002241030.KAA77709@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> Dear Coral-Listers, I recently had the opportunity to go to Thailand for a workshop and = conference, and inbetween the two, managed a quick get away down to the = Phi Phi Islands. I did the obligatory day trip around PP Don and PP Ley = hoping to find gin-clear waters and tropical fish the likes I have never = seen before......I was disappointed. Visibility ranged 7 to 10m, and the reefs, well, they were pretty much = blasted to smithereens. Hardly any sign of upstanding staghorn corals - = fields of fragments everywhere. Huge _Porites_ mounds cleaved and = upturned. Some places were better - many plates of fungi coral in some = areas. Around nearby Koh Mai Phai (the so called "Bamboo Island"), there = was an impressive area of 'cabbage' coral that I thought was remarkably = intact considering what I saw everywhere else. Fish life was generally = scarce and poor in "content" - parrotfish and damsels were the most = abundant. Noticeably lacking were lobsters, and also sea cucumbers. = Quite a few _Diadema_ and I also logged a solitary COT starfish. The islands of the area fall under Had Nopparat Marine National Park - = anyone have info on when the park was instigated? There were some signs = of staghorn re-growth - from my (limited) guesstimations, it looks like = about 2-3 years worth of growth. I'd very much like to get some more background info - if anybody has a = reference list of papers and articles pertaining to reefs in Thailand, I'd = be most appreciative if you would share it with me. TIA, ------------------------ Jan L. Korrubel Centre for Environment and Development University of Natal Private Bag X01 3209 Scottsville Pietermaritzburg South Africa Tel: +27-33-2606223 (int.) / 033-2606223 (nat.) Fax: +27-33-2606118 (int.) / 033-2606118 (nat.) From BobFenner at aol.com Thu Feb 24 12:07:30 2000 From: BobFenner at aol.com (BobFenner at aol.com) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 12:07:30 EST Subject: New Coral Collection/Trade/Cites Publication Message-ID: <75.1cd215d.25e6bf52@aol.com> In a message dated 2/23/00 10:47:55 PM Pacific Standard Time, gregorh at pacific.net.hk writes: << Subj: Re: New Coral Collection/Trade/Cites Publication Date: 2/23/00 10:47:55 PM Pacific Standard Time From: gregorh at pacific.net.hk (Gregor Hodgson) To: BobFenner at aol.com File: CORALBOO.doc (184320 bytes) DL Time (TCP/IP): < 1 minute Hi Bob, Thanks for alerting me to your nice site and the review of this paper. If you have not done so already, I would encourage you to publicize your review of the paper on the coral list server with a more complete citation of the location website and a slightly less critical statement to accompany it: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WCMCRepRev.htm The reason I forwarded the citation is because I keep watching busy people reinvent the wheel and ignore the literature that is out there. After reading the paper, I also disagreed with many of it's conclusions (they distorted the conclusions of others on coral harvesting), however I came to a similar conclusion to you, that "there is no better source of information or assessment currently (available)" and while I have not been closely following this debate, I thought that others might benefit by reading it. For your info, I am one of those practical marine ecologists who feels that coral reefs are renewable resources, and if we don't use that value to figure out how to feed the "masses" then we are missing the boat. I was a US Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines and Mike Ross was my partner. We both fought strongly against the coral export ban from the Philippines, but the academics won. The main point of Ross and Grigg's work was to show that both theoretically and in the field, stoney coral harvesting had no significant impact. As usual, the problem comes down to the management of the industry. I like what Paul Holthus and MAC are doing. I think that the future is going to be in aquaculture of all these animals and that will end the debate. Are you related to Doug Fenner? If you would like, please add a link to our Reef Check site to your site. You might also enjoy my chapter in Life and Death on Coral Reefs, where I discuss this need to allow and manage some level of resource extraction. Hodgson, G. (1997). Resource use: conflicts and management solutions. Chapter 17, p 386-410. In: C. Birkeland (ed) Life and Death of Coral Reefs, Chapman and Hall, New York, USA. Cheers, Greg >> Outstanding response to my input. And thank you for your worthy suggestion. No relation to Doug Fenner (directly), down under, but have "spoken" with him regarding the coincidence of appellation. Will ask my friend, fellow web-siter Mike Kaechele to add your link to our "jump" area... on our site (www.wetwebmedia.com). And will post the "review" written for pet-fish/ornamental aquatics purposes to the listserv here at your prompting... Lastly, thank you for your involvement here, and in the broader sphere of resource management, education and inspiration... Will check out the citation above. Bob Fenner From kanaston at psinet.com Thu Feb 24 11:25:10 2000 From: kanaston at psinet.com (Kim Anaston) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:25:10 -0500 Subject: Tortugas Talk Message-ID: <200002241937.TAA83992@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> TALKING TORTUGAS March 31 - April 1 Key Biscayne, FL You are invited to participate in "Talking Tortugas" -- a special citizens' workshop exploring issues concerning the protection of our marine ecosystems and restoration of our depleted fish populations in the Florida Keys. The workshop will be held on April 1st at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Key Biscayne, Florida and will focus primarily on the proposed Tortugas Ecological Reserve 70 miles west of Key West, and why this reserve is so important. At this workshop, you will hear informative presentations about the fish and corals and wonders of the Florida Keys, and especially the Tortugas, from experts working to conserve our marine environment. You will also have the opportunity to participate in breakout sessions on a variety of related issues. By the end of the day you will have the information and tools necessary to be an effective advocate for marine conservation. A dinner and slide presentation are planned for the evening of March 31st, however attendance at the dinner is not required to participate in the workshop on Saturday, April 1st. The registration fee, including meals and educational materials, is only $15. Please contact our conference coordinator, Amy Lewis, at 202-857-1670 or alewis at dccmc.org for additional information. We have limited funding available for scholarships and travel assistance. This workshop is being held by the Center for Marine Conservation in cooperation with Environmental Defense, the Living Oceans Program of the National Audubon Society, and ReefKeeper International. Please share this invitation to other conservationists who might be interested in attending. ------------------------------------------------------------ PRELIMINARY AGENDA Talking Tortugas: Speaking for the Fish of the Florida Keys Key Biscayne, Florida Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences March 31st-April 1st , 2000 FRIDAY, MARCH 31st (Optional) 6:00-7:30 Registration Cocktails (cash bar) and Dinner 7:30-9:00 Welcome and Center for Marine Conservation Introduction David Dickson, Center for Marine Conservation Marianne Cufone, Center for Marine Conservation Images of The Florida Keys A slide presentation showing an in-the-water perspective on fisheries management and the value of marine reserves. Don Kincaid, Florida Keys photographer SATURDAY, APRIL 1st 8:30-9:00 Registration Continental Breakfast 9:00-9:45 Welcome and Introduction David Dickson, Center for Marine Conservation Why Now is a Great Time to Speak for the Fish Basics of fisheries management of the Florida Keys including the Dry Tortugas Kim Davis ,Center for Marine Conservation Kim Anaston, Center for Marine Conservation 9:45-10:15 Reef Fish Reproduction The interesting strategies of jewfish, gag grouper and other species Dr. Felicia Coleman, Florida State University 10:15-10:30 Break 10:30-11:00 Corals, An Essential Habitat For Florida Keys Marine Life Florida's reef corals and their function as a habitat for marine life Dr. Alina Szmant, University of North Carolina, Wilmington 11:00-11:30 Marine reserves & the Biotic ethic Marine Reserves as a new strategy for ecosystem-based management and the role of people and ethics in marine ecosystems Dr. Jim Bohnsack, National Marine Fisheries Service 11:30-12:00 Proposed Tortugas Ecological Reserve Billy Causey, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-2:30 Proposed Tortugas Ecological Reserve (Panel Presentation) Perspectives on the proposed reserve, 70 miles West of Key West, and why its designation is important for the fish of the Florida Keys Dick Ring, Dry Tortugas and Everglades National Parks (invited) Dr. William Hogarth, National Marine Fisheries Service Wayne Swingle, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Representative of The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (invited) Billy Causey, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Jack Sobel, Center for Marine Conservation 2:30-3:00 Discussion 3:00-3:15 Break 3:15-3:45 Making a Difference Public participation in the fishery management process Each attendee will receive a copy of CMC's: Fish for the Future: A Citizen's Guide to Federal Fisheries Management David Dickson, Center for Marine Conservation 3:45-4:15 Breakout Sessions * Jewfish Conservation * Proposed Tortugas Reserve * Proposed Broward County Reserve * RSMAS Presentation: Reef Fish of the Florida Keys 4:15-4:30 Wrap up and Next Steps Where do we go from here? David Dickson, Center for Marine Conservation 4:30 Adjourn From fthomas20 at yahoo.com Thu Feb 24 14:43:09 2000 From: fthomas20 at yahoo.com (Florence Thomas) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:43:09 -0800 (PST) Subject: Post-doc available Message-ID: <20000224194309.16919.qmail@web302.mail.yahoo.com> Post-doc available at The University of South Florida. The research is an NSF funded project on the hydrodynamics of nutrient transport in marine benthic communities. The post-doc should have experience in one of the following areas: microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, and/or hydrodynamic modeling. The post-doc will participate in an active lab working on physical and biological processes that control nutrient dynamics in coral reef, seagrass, mangrove, and salt marsh communities. The present research group is diverse and we are looking for someone who has complimentary interests and who can add a new dimension to the group. The post-doc will also have the opportunity to gain teaching experience as part of the position is to assist in the instruction of Ecology and Biomechanics courses. The post- doc is for 2 years starting in Fall 2000 with a possible extension. If interested please contact Dr. Florence Thomas, Dept. of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620 fthomas at chuma1.cas.usf.edu . You can also look at our WEB page at: http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~cornelis/index.html/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com From reef_education at hotmail.com Thu Feb 24 14:56:54 2000 From: reef_education at hotmail.com (Mary Middlebrook) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:56:54 PST Subject: Importer/Wholesaler of Marine Ornamentals- Introduction Message-ID: <20000224195654.72203.qmail@hotmail.com> Hello All, My name is Mary Middlebrook and I own Marine Specialties International- a marine ornamental import and wholesale company located in Los Angeles. I am very active in the issues facing both the reefs and the industry, and look forward to gaining insight from the members of this list. I've recently been named to the advisory board of the Marine Aquarium Council and will be leading their working group of importers/wholesalers to determine best practice standards for this portion of the industry. I am dedicated to the goal of an ethical and sustainable industry, and am open to all ideas, opinions, etc... of how this can be acheived. Please visit my website at www.reefsource.com and if you have any information that should be included do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Mary Middlebrook MSI www.reefsource.com 818-678-0805 phone 818-678-0806 fax ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From reef_education at hotmail.com Thu Feb 24 14:56:54 2000 From: reef_education at hotmail.com (Mary Middlebrook) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 11:56:54 PST Subject: Importer/Wholesaler of Marine Ornamentals- Introduction Message-ID: <20000224195654.72203.qmail@hotmail.com> Hello All, My name is Mary Middlebrook and I own Marine Specialties International- a marine ornamental import and wholesale company located in Los Angeles. I am very active in the issues facing both the reefs and the industry, and look forward to gaining insight from the members of this list. I've recently been named to the advisory board of the Marine Aquarium Council and will be leading their working group of importers/wholesalers to determine best practice standards for this portion of the industry. I am dedicated to the goal of an ethical and sustainable industry, and am open to all ideas, opinions, etc... of how this can be acheived. Please visit my website at www.reefsource.com and if you have any information that should be included do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Mary Middlebrook MSI www.reefsource.com 818-678-0805 phone 818-678-0806 fax ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From Steve.Gittings at noaa.gov Thu Feb 24 09:14:30 2000 From: Steve.Gittings at noaa.gov (Steve Gittings) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 15:14:30 +0100 Subject: [Fwd: FR notice] Message-ID: <38B53A0E.4EB44BF9@noaa.gov> PLEASE do not respond to me!!! I am merely forwarding this notice. Written, verbal and electronic correspondence should be to: Lisa Symons, NOAA/Marine Sanctuaries Division, 1305 East-West Highway, #11535, Silver Spring, MD 20910, phone (310) 713-3145, ext: 108, email Lisa.Symons at noaa.gov [Federal Register: February 17, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 33)] [Notices] [Page 8122-8123] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr17fe00-63] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Sanctuaries System (NMS) AGENCY: Marine Sanctuaries Division (MSD, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Marine Sanctuaries Division (MSD) of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management intends to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The PEIS will describe and address physical injury to, loss of and destruction of coral and biotic reef communities that result from anthropogenic activities, such as vessel groundings and anchoring within the National Marine Sanctuaries. The PEIS will also describe and characterize the different approaches and methodologies that may be implemented to restore, replace or acquire the equivalent of such injured, destroyed or lost resources. MSD is publishing this notice in the Federal Register in order to advise other agencies and the public of its intent to prepare a PEIS and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to include in the document. DATES: Written comments from all interested parties must be received on or before March 22, 2000. A scoping meeting will be held in the spring of 2000, and a Draft PEIS is expected by fall/winter of 2000. The Final PEIS is expected to be completed by the winter of 2001. ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for information should be sent to Lisa Symons, NOAA/Marine Sanctuaries Division, 1305 East-West Highway, #11535, Silver Spring, MD 20910, phone (310) 713-3145, ext: 108, email Lisa.Symons at noaa.gov. Comments and materials received in response to this notice will be available for public inspection, by appointment, at the aforementioned address. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Marine Sanctuary System was established under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA; also known as title III of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act), 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq. The NMSA authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to [[Page 8123]] identify and designate certain areas of the marine environment which are of special national significance as National Marine Sanctuaries, and provides authority for comprehensive and coordinated conservation and management of these marine areas, and activities affecting them, in a manner that complements existing regulatory authorities. Further, section 312 of the NMSA provides that any person who destroys, causes the loss of, or injures any sanctuary resource is liable to the United States for response costs and damages. Monies received are used to reimburse the Secretary for response actions and damage assessments and to fund the restoration, replacement, or acquisition of the equivalent of injured, destroyed, or lost Sanctuary resources. As a part of its mission to protect and manage the ecological, historical, educational, recreational, and aesthetic qualities of the National Marine Sanctuaries, MSD will prepare a Reef Restoration PEIS. It is MSD's intent to prepare this PEIS such that a tiered process can be used in the preparation of future environmental documents concerning restoration actions within National Marine Sanctuaries. The PEIS, among other things, will set forth methodologies and guidelines for restoration actions arising out of injuries to sanctuary resources. Accordingly, the PEIS will facilitate the development of both subsequent environmental assessments (EAs) and individual restoration plans designed to restore sanctuary resources. MSD intends to hold a public scoping meeting prior to the preparation of the Draft PEIS for those persons and/or organizations interested in the development of the Draft PEIS. MSD will also hold a public meeting, which will be held concurrent with the public comment period to accept comments on the Draft PEIS. Notice of these meetings will be published in the Federal Register. All substantive comments provided, both written and oral, at the public meeting, will be considered in the preparation of the Final PEIS and will become part of the public record (i.e., names, addresses, letters of comment, comment provided during public meetings). Comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties to ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action and all significant issues are identified. Comments and/or questions concerning the preparation of this PEIS should be directed to the MSD at the address or phone listed above. Dated: February 11, 2000. Capt. Ted Lillestolen, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management. [FR Doc. 00-3771 Filed 2-16-00; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-08-M From Steve.Gittings at noaa.gov Thu Feb 24 09:14:30 2000 From: Steve.Gittings at noaa.gov (Steve Gittings) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 15:14:30 +0100 Subject: [Fwd: FR notice] Message-ID: <38B53A0E.4EB44BF9@noaa.gov> PLEASE do not respond to me!!! I am merely forwarding this notice. Written, verbal and electronic correspondence should be to: Lisa Symons, NOAA/Marine Sanctuaries Division, 1305 East-West Highway, #11535, Silver Spring, MD 20910, phone (310) 713-3145, ext: 108, email Lisa.Symons at noaa.gov [Federal Register: February 17, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 33)] [Notices] [Page 8122-8123] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr17fe00-63] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Sanctuaries System (NMS) AGENCY: Marine Sanctuaries Division (MSD, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Marine Sanctuaries Division (MSD) of the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management intends to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The PEIS will describe and address physical injury to, loss of and destruction of coral and biotic reef communities that result from anthropogenic activities, such as vessel groundings and anchoring within the National Marine Sanctuaries. The PEIS will also describe and characterize the different approaches and methodologies that may be implemented to restore, replace or acquire the equivalent of such injured, destroyed or lost resources. MSD is publishing this notice in the Federal Register in order to advise other agencies and the public of its intent to prepare a PEIS and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to include in the document. DATES: Written comments from all interested parties must be received on or before March 22, 2000. A scoping meeting will be held in the spring of 2000, and a Draft PEIS is expected by fall/winter of 2000. The Final PEIS is expected to be completed by the winter of 2001. ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for information should be sent to Lisa Symons, NOAA/Marine Sanctuaries Division, 1305 East-West Highway, #11535, Silver Spring, MD 20910, phone (310) 713-3145, ext: 108, email Lisa.Symons at noaa.gov. Comments and materials received in response to this notice will be available for public inspection, by appointment, at the aforementioned address. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Marine Sanctuary System was established under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA; also known as title III of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act), 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq. The NMSA authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to [[Page 8123]] identify and designate certain areas of the marine environment which are of special national significance as National Marine Sanctuaries, and provides authority for comprehensive and coordinated conservation and management of these marine areas, and activities affecting them, in a manner that complements existing regulatory authorities. Further, section 312 of the NMSA provides that any person who destroys, causes the loss of, or injures any sanctuary resource is liable to the United States for response costs and damages. Monies received are used to reimburse the Secretary for response actions and damage assessments and to fund the restoration, replacement, or acquisition of the equivalent of injured, destroyed, or lost Sanctuary resources. As a part of its mission to protect and manage the ecological, historical, educational, recreational, and aesthetic qualities of the National Marine Sanctuaries, MSD will prepare a Reef Restoration PEIS. It is MSD's intent to prepare this PEIS such that a tiered process can be used in the preparation of future environmental documents concerning restoration actions within National Marine Sanctuaries. The PEIS, among other things, will set forth methodologies and guidelines for restoration actions arising out of injuries to sanctuary resources. Accordingly, the PEIS will facilitate the development of both subsequent environmental assessments (EAs) and individual restoration plans designed to restore sanctuary resources. MSD intends to hold a public scoping meeting prior to the preparation of the Draft PEIS for those persons and/or organizations interested in the development of the Draft PEIS. MSD will also hold a public meeting, which will be held concurrent with the public comment period to accept comments on the Draft PEIS. Notice of these meetings will be published in the Federal Register. All substantive comments provided, both written and oral, at the public meeting, will be considered in the preparation of the Final PEIS and will become part of the public record (i.e., names, addresses, letters of comment, comment provided during public meetings). Comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties to ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action and all significant issues are identified. Comments and/or questions concerning the preparation of this PEIS should be directed to the MSD at the address or phone listed above. Dated: February 11, 2000. Capt. Ted Lillestolen, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management. [FR Doc. 00-3771 Filed 2-16-00; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-08-M From korfmacher at cc.denison.edu Thu Feb 24 17:11:40 2000 From: korfmacher at cc.denison.edu (Katrina Korfmacher) Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 22:11:40 GMT Subject: marine policy summer course at DUML Message-ID: <200002242211.WAA84426@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> > To who it may concern, > I am writing to remind you of a unique opportunity at the Duke Marine > Lab this summer, and to ask you to mention this to your students. I am > teaching Marine Policy during summer session II (see attached flier; for > more info see http://www.env.duke.edu/marinelab/marine.html; (252) > 504-7502 voice; (252) 504-7648 fax; or email hnearing at mail.duke.edu) > My first introduction to Marine Policy was taking this course myself > in 1991. I went on to get my MS and PhD from the Nicholas School of > the Environment and now teach environmental studies at Denison > University, a liberal arts college in Ohio. These experiences inform > how I teach the course: I am committed to the teaching style of a > liberal arts college, the professional exposure and integration of the > Nicholas School programs, and the value of field work and direct > contacts with people working in coastal management. For this, I draw > on my long history working in the Beaufort area. As a policy > scientist, I emphasize the politics of the policy process, innovative > approaches to regulation, co-management, and the role of science in > policy. > I wanted to let you know about my approach to the course to give you > more information on how the course might work for your students. I have > designed the course to meet the needs of many kinds of students, > including: 1) science students with an interest in doing > management/policy work after graduation; 2) political > science/sociology/economics students who don=92t have the opportunity to > study coastal issues at their home institution; 3) students wishing to > =91try out=92 or learn more about professional programs like that at the > Nicholas School of the environment; 4) graduate students or > professionals interested in moving into coastal management from another > field. In fact, one of our students who hopes to do a 3-2 program with > the Nicholas school is likely to take the course this summer, using it > as a social science course in her concentration (major) here. > This course will involve local issues, field trips, and problem solving > creating a diverse and applied experience in coastal environmental > policy and management. Marine Policy (ENV 276/PPS 197) is offered to > undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals (1c/3sh). There are > no prerequisites. This course is offered as part of the Duke Marine > Laboratory=92s Integrated Marine Conservation Program. Therefore, it is > also possible for students to take a second course, Conservation Biology > and Policy, at the same time for a total of 6 credits. > If you have any questions about the course, feel free to contact me > directly. There is no deadline for applications, but March 1 is the > deadline to be considered for scholarships. Thanks for your interest! > Katrina Korfmacher > Korfmacher at denison.edu > > -----------------------------------------------------------------------= - > Name: flier2000 new.doc > flier2000 new.doc Type: Winword File (APPLICATION/MSWORD) > Encoding: BASE64 From mrendon at invemar.org.co Fri Feb 25 13:32:14 2000 From: mrendon at invemar.org.co (maria del mar Rendon) Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 13:32:14 -0500 Subject: No subject Message-ID: <002201bf7fbe$a3505d50$e60d19c8@invemar.org.co> Hola Todos! estoy trabajando con imagenes de sat?lite SPOT XS como herramienta para delimitar ecosistemas marinos y costeros (manglares, corales y fanerogamas), agradecer?a si alguien tiene informaci?n acerca de este tema -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000225/c8e75083/attachment.html From jch at aoml.noaa.gov Fri Feb 25 14:54:17 2000 From: jch at aoml.noaa.gov (coral-list admin) Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 19:54:17 GMT Subject: Thanks to David Excoffier Message-ID: <200002251954.TAA91973@coral.aoml.noaa.gov> David Excoffier, list administrator for the Aquamer list (Aquarium recifal l'association, http://www.aquarium-recifal.com) solved the problem of the dual messages to some of the list members. It was apparently a problem with a single subscriber in Fiji who had a misconfiguration on his end. Thanks, David! If any among you is having any other coral-list problems, please let me know. Thanks...Jim From JSobel at DCCMC.ORG Sat Feb 26 12:48:07 2000 From: JSobel at DCCMC.ORG (Jack Sobel) Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 12:48:07 -0500 Subject: Coral Reef Task Force National Action Plan and Meeting Message-ID: <9188D24F318ED31198E300A0C9D81E0401B75C@smtp.dcccmc.org> The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will adopt its National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs on March 2, 2000 at its meeting in Washington, DC. The Center for Marine Conservation has drafted the following/attached letter, which we plan to present publicly at that meeting. The purpose of this letter is to congratulate the task force for some good work done to date, to encourage them to strengthen those areas that need further strengthening, to challenge Congress and the next Administration to join in the fight to protect coral reefs, and to engage the American public in supporting this effort. Our purpose in posting this on the Coral-list Server is to share our views on this with the science and research community, get feedback from others on them, and encourage scientists, researchers, and others to share their views with the Administration's Coral Reef Task Force. If you respresent an organization, share our views, and are interested in joining with us on this letter, please contact Doug Obegi by email at dobegi at cacmc.org or Doug or myself by phone at (202) 429-5609 no later than Tuesday, February 29th. We also greatly appreciate any respectful feedback or suggestions regarding the Coral Reef Task Force, the National Action Plan, or the letter below. March 2, 2000 The Honorable Bruce Babbit Co-Chair, Coral Reef Task Force U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W., Room 6151 Washington, D.C. 20240 Dr. D. James Baker Co-Chair, Coral Reef Task Force U.S. Department of Commerce 14th and Constitution Avenue NW, Room 5128 Washington, D.C. 20230 On March 2, the Clinton Administration will unveil a landmark plan to protect our nation's and the world's endangered coral reefs. This first-ever National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs marks a bold first step. Stimulated by the President's 1998 Coral Reef Executive Order and developed over two years by the Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF) the Executive Order created, the plan clearly identifies the tremendous values of coral reefs, the extraordinary threats facing them, and the urgent need to conserve them. Furthermore, it identifies key strategies, core principles, and priority actions to halt and reverse their decline. The Administration and the Task Force deserve praise for their valuable work to date, and we must ensure that it was not done in vain. To deliver on the plan's promise of protecting these vital habitats for future generations, the American public, the Administration, and the Congress must build on the leadership demonstrated in drafting this plan throughout the difficult task of implementing its noteworthy vision. The plan provides an appropriately strong vision and identifies the correct broad strategies, but it will require strengthening some of these strategies, fleshing out details, and the provision of adequate resources to be successful. The following elements are particularly deserving of emphasis and broad public support in either their current form or with additional strengthening as discussed below: 1. Fully protect at least 20% of the nation's coral reefs from extractive uses by the year 2010- One of the strongest elements of the plan sets a goal to permanently protect at least 20% of all U.S. coral reefs in marine reserve or "no-take" protected areas by the year 2010, with specific interim benchmarks to measure progress. Such a marine protected area network would be based on scientific analyses and stakeholder input to devise fair and equitable solutions that provide the greatest benefits to the nation while recognizing regional and local concerns. Recent progress on the Tortugas Ecological Reserve in Florida and the Red Hind Marine Conservation Area in the USVI indicate that such an approach will be successful, but adequate resources and commitment must be provided. 2. Reduce pollution and habitat destruction- The emphasis on these threats in the plan is warranted, but unfortunately, the plan does not provide similarly tangible protection goals or benchmarks for measuring success as the above element.. The public should demand and the Task Force commit to implementing more concrete measures aimed at reducing these threats, particularly nutrient and sediment pollution from both point sources and polluted runoff. 3. Improve mapping and monitoring of coral reefs- Better mapping of coral reef ecosystems and monitoring of their condition would provide the underpinnings for improved conservation and measuring success. The plan includes a number of worthwhile elements in this regard ranging from improved coral reef habitat mapping for both Caribbean and Pacific regions to low cost volunteer monitoring programs that involve divers and others in assessing reef conditions (such as the RECON project) to biennial reports on the State of American Coral Reef Ecosystems. 4. Manage coral harvesting and end destructive collecting practices- The plan directs the U.S. to reduce the unsustainable commercial extraction of reef resources and its resultant habitat destruction. The U.S. will restrict commercial collection of coral and "live rock" throughout U.S. waters and phase-in a ban on the use of cyanide in collecting reef products. However, because of the critical importance of coral and "live rock" to the vitality of coral reef ecosystems, the task force should consider whether a comprehensive ban on commercial collecting would be more appropriate. 5. Increase funding for coral reef conservation- The action plan does not address specific funding needs to ensure its success, but it is clear that substantially increased funding will be necessary to achieve its goals. The Administration has requested some increased funding in its FY2001 budget for this purpose and these should be provided, but even these increases are small with respect to both the value of our coral reef resources and the severity of their plight. The public, Congress, and the Administration should support much higher levels of funding to ensure the plan's success. The National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs puts the United States on a path towards ensuring a representative portion of these habitats are permanently protected, that all U.S. reefs are better managed and conserved, and that the U.S. leads international conservation efforts. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse, valuable, and vulnerable marine habitats on the earth. Tens of thousands of species have been identified on coral reefs, and estimates suggest that coral reefs may be home to more than nine million species of plants and animals. Over half of all managed fishery species in the United States spend important parts of their lives on or around coral reefs. Some of the most promising biotechnological innovations in the future may come from coral reef species. Tourism, commercial and subsistence fishing, and the "intangible" benefits of reefs, such as the protection of coastal communities and ports from storms, provide economic benefits estimated to be in excess of $375 billion per year worldwide. Yet coral reefs worldwide, like those in the United States, are extremely vulnerable and in danger of being destroyed. Water pollution from oil spills, sewage outfalls, and nonpoint source pollution; overfishing; overexploitation for commercial trade in coral reef products and from biotechnological collecting; habitat destruction from fishing gear, ship groundings and anchoring; and coral bleaching from rising global water temperatures all threaten coral reefs. Approximately 10% of the world's reefs have already been destroyed, and an additional 60% are threatened with destruction in the next 50 years. We commend this Administration for its leadership in adopting a precautionary approach to coral reef conservation. But the "real" work, for this Administration as well as those who come after it, will be in the plan's implementation. This depends upon two critical factors. First, the Congress must appropriate adequate funding, beginning this year, to carry out this plan. Coral reefs cannot be saved by plans alone. And second, this and the next Administration must remain committed to continuing the work now begun. We have laid out an ambitious and indispensable plan of action for the next ten years: now we must carry it out. <> *********************************************************************** Jack A. Sobel, Director Ecosystem Program Center for Marine Conservation 1725 DeSales St. NW, Suite #600 Washington, DC 20036 Business Phone: (202) 429-5609 / (202) 857-3270 Business Fax: (202) 872-0619 Email: jsobel at dccmc.org *********************************************************************** <> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CRTF group letter (FINAL2).rtf Type: application/rtf Size: 17328 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000226/dc6399f6/attachment.rtf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Jack Sobel.vcf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 119 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000226/dc6399f6/attachment.obj From delbeek at hawaii.edu Sat Feb 26 15:10:30 2000 From: delbeek at hawaii.edu (J. Charles Delbeek) Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 10:10:30 -1000 Subject: Coral Reef Task Force National Action Plan and Meeting In-Reply-To: <9188D24F318ED31198E300A0C9D81E0401B75C@smtp.dcccmc.org> Message-ID: On Sat, 26 Feb 2000, Jack Sobel wrote: > 4. Manage coral harvesting and end destructive collecting practices- > The plan directs the U.S. to reduce the unsustainable commercial extraction > of reef resources and its resultant habitat destruction. The U.S. will > restrict commercial collection of coral and "live rock" throughout U.S. > waters and phase-in a ban on the use of cyanide in collecting reef products. > However, because of the critical importance of coral and "live rock" to the > vitality of coral reef ecosystems, the task force should consider whether a > comprehensive ban on commercial collecting would be more appropriate. Mr. Sobel: It is unclear to me what this paragraph is referring to. Are you calling for this action on coral reefs in US waters, or is this referring to coral reefs in other countries? If you are referring to both, then this paragraph needs to be rewritten, as it stands now it is confusing. I might be wrong but to the best of my knowledge there is no coral or live rock commercial collecting going on anywhere in US waters, it is illegal. The same can be said for cyanide fishing practices. If you know otherwise I would like to know where it is occuring in US waters and where you got this information from. Respectfully yours, J. Charles Delbeek From BobFenner at aol.com Sun Feb 27 23:02:08 2000 From: BobFenner at aol.com (BobFenner at aol.com) Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 23:02:08 EST Subject: Global Trade in Coral Message-ID: In a message dated 2/25/00 5:06:08 AM Pacific Standard Time, edg at wcmc.org.uk writes: << Subj: Global Trade in Coral Date: 2/25/00 5:06:08 AM Pacific Standard Time From: edg at wcmc.org.uk (Ed Green) To: bobfenner at aol.com Dear Bob Thank you for posting the url to your review of the trade report, and for your personnal perspective on it. Obviously there is much in the details over we would disagree to no clear conclusion. However I would reply to your review with a comment which applies not only to the coral report, but to the subject of information on the aquarium trade as a whole. It is the lack of quantitative data, or analyses based on quantitative data, on aspects of the marine ornamental trade which means that opinion is directed more by guesswork than fact. If this eventually materialises in unnecessarily strigent restrictions on the trade, and there appear to be many who believe that management authorities are moving in this direction, then it would be to the detriment of the hobbyists and collectors' livelihoods alike. I would illustrate this with two criticisms which you levy at the coral trade report. 1. "These establishments [Quality Marine in the U.S. and Tropical Marine Centre in the U.K] are inarguably the best of their kind, and receive much better, larger livestock than the vast majority of marine livestock wholesalers" - well if so how much smaller are the items received by lesser traders? Until a similar number of corals are measured from other sources I will stand by our measurements as being representative. 2. "The calculated export value of live stony corals at $5 million U.S. for all collecting countries is fallacious. Within the scope of even just my travels to these countries and their collecting stations I assure you this number is way too low". - well if so, what is the value of of the exports? We present one way of calculating it, how would you calculate the value differently? In summary one should not base global assessments of issues such as this on personal opinion. I am quite prepared to compare our methods and conclusions against different approaches but think that such comparison only stands up when the alternative is also based on sound quantitative data. Thanks, Ed. Dr. Edmund Green Head, Marine and Coastal Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL United Kingdom Tel: (44) 1223 277314 Fax: (44) 1223 277136 E mail: ed.green at wcmc.org.uk http://www.wcmc.org.uk/marine >> From gregorh at pacific.net.hk Mon Feb 28 03:26:03 2000 From: gregorh at pacific.net.hk (Gregor Hodgson) Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 16:26:03 +0800 Subject: Invitation: Dive In to Earth Day with Reef Check Message-ID: <38BA311B.B71B72F3@pacific.net.hk> Dear all: I would like to encourage everyone on coral list to participate in Dive In to Earth Day (April 15 - 22), the biggest international PR event for marine science and conservation in history. By raising public awareness about the marine environment and coral reefs we build support for solving problems facing reefs, one of the major goals of Reef Check. Ideas on how students, scientists, business people etc. can participate are given at www.coral.org/divein.html. For Reef Check network participants, please consider organising an RC survey and/or PR activity during the week leading up to Earth Day (April 22). Leonardo DiCaprio, who is sponsoring Reef Check, will be serving as Earth Day Chairperson in Washington DC for the big day. He will be helping us to raise the noise level about the link between coral reef damage and global warming/energy conservation -- the Earth Day 2000 theme (www.earthday.net). A number of Reef Check coordinators are planning Reef Check training sessions, information sessions, reef surveys, underwater clean-ups, photography contests, art contests, childrens events etc. To participate, simply send your idea to Anita and cc to me or register on line at the CORAL website: Anita Daley Dive In To Earth Day Coordinator CORAL 2014 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704 (510) 848-0110 (ext. 313) (510) 848-3720 (fax) www.coral.org/divein.html Thanks for you help! Regards, Greg -- Gregor Hodgson, PhD Coordinator, Reef Check Global Survey Program GPO Box 12375, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2802-6937 Fax: (852) 2887-5454 Email: gregorh at pacific.net.hk Web: www.ReefCheck.org From JSprung at compuserve.com Mon Feb 28 08:06:52 2000 From: JSprung at compuserve.com (Julian Sprung) Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 08:06:52 -0500 Subject: Invitation: Dive In to Earth Day with Reef Check Message-ID: <200002280806_MC2-9AEF-EA31@compuserve.com> In reference to Gregor Hodgson's post about Earth Day, and his statement: "By raising public awareness about the marine environment and coral reefs we build support for solving problems facing reefs." To me this has always seemed to be one of the values of popularizing the hobby of Reef Aquarium keeping. I hope that the people attending the meetings in Washington March 2 will keep this in mind. Sincerely, Julian Sprung From GBUCK at crs.loc.gov Mon Feb 28 11:46:43 2000 From: GBUCK at crs.loc.gov (Gene Buck) Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 11:46:43 -0500 Subject: Pacific coral harvest/enforcement questions Message-ID: Coral Group: I'm seeking answers to a couple of questions for a U.S. Congressional office. I've sent this same query to the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, but would like to see from whom or where else I might be able to find information on any of the following: I'm looking for a breakdown of recent (last few years) coral harvest statistics for U.S. Pacific Island areas; and I'd like to find some discussion or highlighting of any enforcement issues related to coral resource management in U.S. Pacific Island areas. Thanks for any information you can provide. Gene Buck, senior analyst Congressional Research Service gbuck at crs.loc.gov From mrendon at invemar.org.co Mon Feb 28 12:23:57 2000 From: mrendon at invemar.org.co (maria del mar Rendon) Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 12:23:57 -0500 Subject: Remote sensing Message-ID: <001101bf8210$980e12d0$e60d19c8@invemar.org.co> Hello we are working with satellite imagery SPOT XS like tool to identify and to delimit marine and coastal ecosystems (mangrove, seagrass and coral reefs) in the Golfo de Morrosquillo -Caribbean Colombian- (South America). We asked for any information to near image processing, other works made in the subject and all the related about remote sensing applied to mapping and monitoring of marine and coastal ecosystems. Thanks Mar?a Ang?lica Gutierrez y Mar?a del Mar Rend?n Laboratorio SIG-SR Instituto de Investigaciones marinas y costeras INVEMAR Cerro Punta de Bet?n- Santa Marta (Colombia) AA 1016 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/pipermail/coral-list-old/attachments/20000228/de29af85/attachment.html From BobFenner at aol.com Mon Feb 28 14:44:40 2000 From: BobFenner at aol.com (BobFenner at aol.com) Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 14:44:40 EST Subject: Global Trade in Coral Message-ID: <9b.205149c.25ec2a28@aol.com> In a message dated 2/28/00 12:49:13 AM Pacific Standard Time, gregorh at pacific.net.hk writes: << Subj: Re: Global Trade in Coral Date: 2/28/00 12:49:13 AM Pacific Standard Time From: gregorh at pacific.net.hk (Gregor Hodgson) To: BobFenner at aol.com Bob, Ed Green is a good guy and a very straight shooter -- this doesn't mean that he doesn't have an agenda. We all do. He is trying to help bring attention to the problems facing coral reefs. If things get worse, the regulations on aquarium trade will be tighter and folks like you will suffer. By working with people like Ed and Paul Holthus, it could help you a lot because they have a lot of credibility. I think Ed is just telling you that he understands that the numbers may be off, but they were all that were available, this was a first attempt, and he would like to see some factual evidence of other numbers that support your claims rather than just your opinion before he changes his tune. I'm sure he would be happy to admit he was wrong if you can show him the evidence. Try to lower your "dukes" and work with the guy. It will be to your advantage. Regards, Greg In a message dated 2/25/00 5:06:08 AM Pacific Standard Time, edg at wcmc.org.uk > writes: > > << Subj: Global Trade in Coral > Date: 2/25/00 5:06:08 AM Pacific Standard Time > From: edg at wcmc.org.uk (Ed Green) > To: bobfenner at aol.com > > Dear Bob > > Thank you for posting the url to your review of the trade report, and for > your personnal perspective on it. > > Obviously there is much in the details over we would disagree to no clear > conclusion. > > to be it currently... Ivory tower, civil servants, folks hoping to join them, > hobbyists, culturists, extractors, folks with a parochial interest... What > don't we agree on?> > > However I would reply to your review with a comment which applies not only to > the coral report, but to the subject of information on the aquarium trade as > a whole. It is the lack of quantitative data, or analyses based on > quantitative data, on aspects of the marine ornamental trade which means that > opinion is directed more by guesswork than fact. > > If this eventually materialises in unnecessarily strigent restrictions on the > trade, and there appear to be many who believe that management authorities > are moving in this direction, then it would be to the detriment of the > hobbyists and collectors' livelihoods alike. I would illustrate this with two > criticisms which you levy at the coral trade report. > > 1. "These establishments [Quality Marine in the U.S. and Tropical Marine > Centre in the U.K] are inarguably the best of their kind, and receive much > better, larger livestock than the vast majority of marine livestock > wholesalers" - well if so how much smaller are the items received by lesser > traders? Until a similar number of corals are measured from other sources I > will stand by our measurements as being representative. > > organisms yourself under a DBA and you'll discover this to be so... I have > spent the last 34 years in the ornamental aquatics trade... I will gladly > take you about (the InterZoo in May could open your eyes immediately... > www.interzoo.com> > > 2. "The calculated export value of live stony corals at $5 million U.S. for > all collecting countries is fallacious. Within the scope of even just my > travels to these countries and their collecting stations I assure you this > number is way too low". - well if so, what is the value of of the exports? We > present one way of calculating it, how would you calculate the value > differently? > > so not simply from inference (the number of tons, pieces back-figured times > the going rates per piece...) There are some suppliers that alone ship more > than this dollar equivalent... at the local level of income...> > > In summary one should not base global assessments of issues such as this on > personal opinion. > > > > I am quite prepared to compare our methods and conclusions against different > approaches but think that such comparison only stands up when the alternative > is also based on sound quantitative data. > > Thanks, > Ed. > > Dr. Edmund Green > Head, Marine and Coastal Programme > World Conservation Monitoring Centre > 219 Huntingdon Road > Cambridge > CB3 0DL > United Kingdom > > Tel: (44) 1223 277314 > Fax: (44) 1223 277136 > E mail: ed.green at wcmc.org.uk > > http://www.wcmc.org.uk/marine > >> > methodologies... and introducing you to my trade, in earnest. > Sir, > Robert (Bob) Fenner> -- Gregor Hodgson, PhD Coordinator, Reef Check Global Survey Program GPO Box 12375, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2802-6937 Fax: (852) 2887-5454 Email: gregorh at pacific.net.hk Web: www.ReefCheck.org >> From reef_education at hotmail.com Mon Feb 28 19:11:48 2000 From: reef_education at hotmail.com (Mary Middlebrook) Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 16:11:48 PST Subject: Coral Reef Task Force National Action Plan and Meeting Message-ID: <20000229001148.30339.qmail@hotmail.com> A copy of my letter to the CRTF can be read at http://www.reefsource.com/msi_letter_to_the_uscrtf.htm >From: Jack Sobel >Reply-To: Jack Sobel >To: "'coral-list at aoml.noaa.gov'" >CC: Doug Obegi >Subject: Coral Reef Task Force National Action Plan and Meeting >Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 12:48:07 -0500 > >The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will adopt its National Action Plan to >Conserve Coral Reefs on March 2, 2000 at its meeting in Washington, DC. >The >Center for Marine Conservation has drafted the following/attached letter, >which we plan to present publicly at that meeting. The purpose of this >letter is to congratulate the task force for some good work done to date, >to >encourage them to strengthen those areas that need further strengthening, >to >challenge Congress and the next Administration to join in the fight to >protect coral reefs, and to engage the American public in supporting this >effort. Our purpose in posting this on the Coral-list Server is to share >our views on this with the science and research community, get feedback >from >others on them, and encourage scientists, researchers, and others to share >their views with the Administration's Coral Reef Task Force. If you >respresent an organization, share our views, and are interested in joining >with us on this letter, please contact Doug Obegi by email at >dobegi at cacmc.org or Doug or myself by phone at (202) 429-5609 no later than >Tuesday, February 29th. We also greatly appreciate any respectful feedback >or suggestions regarding the Coral Reef Task Force, the National Action >Plan, or the letter below. > > >March 2, 2000 > >The Honorable Bruce Babbit >Co-Chair, Coral Reef Task Force >U.S. Department of the Interior >1849 C Street, N.W., Room 6151 >Washington, D.C. 20240 > >Dr. D. James Baker >Co-Chair, Coral Reef Task Force >U.S. Department of Commerce >14th and Constitution Avenue NW, Room 5128 >Washington, D.C. 20230 > >On March 2, the Clinton Administration will unveil a landmark plan to >protect our nation's and the world's endangered coral reefs. This >first-ever National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs marks a bold first >step. Stimulated by the President's 1998 Coral Reef Executive Order and >developed over two years by the Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF) the Executive >Order created, the plan clearly identifies the tremendous values of coral >reefs, the extraordinary threats facing them, and the urgent need to >conserve them. Furthermore, it identifies key strategies, core principles, >and priority actions to halt and reverse their decline. The Administration >and the Task Force deserve praise for their valuable work to date, and we >must ensure that it was not done in vain. > >To deliver on the plan's promise of protecting these vital habitats for >future generations, the American public, the Administration, and the >Congress must build on the leadership demonstrated in drafting this plan >throughout the difficult task of implementing its noteworthy vision. The >plan provides an appropriately strong vision and identifies the correct >broad strategies, but it will require strengthening some of these >strategies, fleshing out details, and the provision of adequate resources >to >be successful. The following elements are particularly deserving of >emphasis and broad public support in either their current form or with >additional strengthening as discussed below: > >1. Fully protect at least 20% of the nation's coral reefs from >extractive uses by the year 2010- One of the strongest elements of the plan >sets a goal to permanently protect at least 20% of all U.S. coral reefs in >marine reserve or "no-take" protected areas by the year 2010, with >specific >interim benchmarks to measure progress. Such a marine protected area >network would be based on scientific analyses and stakeholder input to >devise fair and equitable solutions that provide the greatest benefits to >the nation while recognizing regional and local concerns. Recent progress >on the Tortugas Ecological Reserve in Florida and the Red Hind Marine >Conservation Area in the USVI indicate that such an approach will be >successful, but adequate resources and commitment must be provided. > >2. Reduce pollution and habitat destruction- The emphasis on these >threats in the plan is warranted, but unfortunately, the plan does not >provide similarly tangible protection goals or benchmarks for measuring >success as the above element.. The public should demand and the Task Force >commit to implementing more concrete measures aimed at reducing these >threats, particularly nutrient and sediment pollution from both point >sources and polluted runoff. > >3. Improve mapping and monitoring of coral reefs- Better mapping of >coral reef ecosystems and monitoring of their condition would provide the >underpinnings for improved conservation and measuring success. The plan >includes a number of worthwhile elements in this regard ranging from >improved coral reef habitat mapping for both Caribbean and Pacific regions >to low cost volunteer monitoring programs that involve divers and others in >assessing reef conditions (such as the RECON project) to biennial reports >on >the State of American Coral Reef Ecosystems. > >4. Manage coral harvesting and end destructive collecting practices- >The plan directs the U.S. to reduce the unsustainable commercial extraction >of reef resources and its resultant habitat destruction. The U.S. will >restrict commercial collection of coral and "live rock" throughout U.S. >waters and phase-in a ban on the use of cyanide in collecting reef >products. >However, because of the critical importance of coral and "live rock" to the >vitality of coral reef ecosystems, the task force should consider whether a >comprehensive ban on commercial collecting would be more appropriate. > >5. Increase funding for coral reef conservation- The action plan does >not address specific funding needs to ensure its success, but it is clear >that substantially increased funding will be necessary to achieve its >goals. >The Administration has requested some increased funding in its FY2001 >budget >for this purpose and these should be provided, but even these increases are >small with respect to both the value of our coral reef resources and the >severity of their plight. The public, Congress, and the Administration >should support much higher levels of funding to ensure the plan's success. > >The National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs puts the United States on >a >path towards ensuring a representative portion of these habitats are >permanently protected, that all U.S. reefs are better managed and >conserved, >and that the U.S. leads international conservation efforts. > >Coral reefs are some of the most diverse, valuable, and vulnerable marine >habitats on the earth. Tens of thousands of species have been identified >on >coral reefs, and estimates suggest that coral reefs may be home to more >than >nine million species of plants and animals. Over half of all managed >fishery species in the United States spend important parts of their lives >on >or around coral reefs. Some of the most promising biotechnological >innovations in the future may come from coral reef species. Tourism, >commercial and subsistence fishing, and the "intangible" benefits of reefs, >such as the protection of coastal communities and ports from storms, >provide >economic benefits estimated to be in excess of $375 billion per year >worldwide. > >Yet coral reefs worldwide, like those in the United States, are extremely >vulnerable and in danger of being destroyed. Water pollution from oil >spills, sewage outfalls, and nonpoint source pollution; overfishing; >overexploitation for commercial trade in coral reef products and from >biotechnological collecting; habitat destruction from fishing gear, ship >groundings and anchoring; and coral bleaching from rising global water >temperatures all threaten coral reefs. Approximately 10% of the world's >reefs have already been destroyed, and an additional 60% are threatened >with >destruction in the next 50 years. > >We commend this Administration for its leadership in adopting a >precautionary approach to coral reef conservation. But the "real" work, for >this Administration as well as those who come after it, will be in the >plan's implementation. This depends upon two critical factors. First, the >Congress must appropriate adequate funding, beginning this year, to carry >out this plan. Coral reefs cannot be saved by plans alone. And second, >this and the next Administration must remain committed to continuing the >work now begun. We have laid out an ambitious and indispensable plan of >action for the next ten years: now we must carry it out. > > > <> > >*********************************************************************** >Jack A. Sobel, Director >Ecosystem Program >Center for Marine Conservation >1725 DeSales St. NW, Suite #600 >Washington, DC 20036 >Business Phone: (202) 429-5609 / (202) 857-3270 >Business Fax: (202) 872-0619 >Email: jsobel at dccmc.org >*********************************************************************** > <> ><< CRTFgroupletter(FINAL2).rtf >> ><< JackSobel.vcf >> ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From cfcosta at dse.ufpb.br Mon Feb 28 20:19:30 2000 From: cfcosta at dse.ufpb.br (Cristiane Francisca da Costa) Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 22:19:30 -0300 Subject: Zooxanthellae cultivate Message-ID: <38BB1EA2.79CED0C1@dse.ufpb.br> Dear all coralist: Is anyone work on ZOOXANTHELLAE cultivate? I am trying to cultivate these dinoflagellates of Brazilian corals, but I have not to obtained success because many things on technic, I think. If anyone could help me, I will like a lot. Thanks all, Cristiane F. Costa N?cleo de Pesquisa de Recursos do Mar (NEPREMAR), Centro de Ci?ncias Exatas e da Natureza (CCEN)/Universidade Federal da Para?ba Campus Universit?rio, s/n 58059-900 Jo?o Pessoa, PB, Brazil. From I.Macdonald at mmu.ac.uk Tue Feb 29 07:52:38 2000 From: I.Macdonald at mmu.ac.uk (Iain Macdonald) Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 12:52:38 GMT Subject: Coral interactions with Al2O3 and Fe2O3 ? Message-ID: <30107035396@enterprise.mmu.ac.uk> Dear coral-list I have search the literature available to me and need to know of any people with grey literature or reserch interests in the interaction of coral reef organisms with Al2O3 and Fe2O3 (major constituents of Bauxite). I have already found published work on the effects of Bauxite on PAR (Roland & Esteves, 1998) and on the Sea Urchin Diadema (Trieff et al., 1995). If you are interested in collaboration work or have such publications i would be indebted to you. Please respond to I.Macdonald at mmu.ac.uk Yours sincerely, Iain Macd. PhD Student Room E402 John Dalton Extension Building, Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, Manchester Metropolitian University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD Tel: 0161 247 6234 Fax: 0161 247 6318 From DoviK at tauex.tau.ac.il Tue Feb 29 10:36:01 2000 From: DoviK at tauex.tau.ac.il (Dovi Kelman) Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 17:36:01 +0200 Subject: Dominican Republic Message-ID: <043103BC2B06D311B43D0090272C1463B70D65@CENTAUR> Dear Coral Listers, Does anyone know of a marine biologist working in the Dominican Republic? I would very much appreciate to receive any information about contact persons or addresses of institutions in the Dominican Republic working on coral reefs. Many thanks in advance. Sincerely, Dovi Kelman _____________________________ Dovi Kelman National Center for High Throughput Screening (HTS) of Novel Bioactive Compounds Dept. of Zoology George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences Tel Aviv University Ramat Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978 ISRAEL Phone: 972-3-6405193 Fax: 972-3-6407682 Email: dovik at tauex.tau.ac.il ____________________________ From Kiene at nmnh.si.edu Tue Feb 29 12:55:45 2000 From: Kiene at nmnh.si.edu (William Kiene) Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 12:55:45 -0500 Subject: Large Saharan Dust Cloud Message-ID: For those interested in the potential link between African dust and Caribbean coral reefs the following may be of interest. Does it offer a chance to test the hypothesis? See the SeaWIFS web site for images of this cloud: http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html >A massive sandstorm blowing off the northwest African desert >has blanketed hundreds of thousands of square miles of the >eastern Atlantic Ocean with a dense cloud of Saharan sand. >The massive nature of this particular storm was first seen in a >SeaWiFS image on Saturday, 26 February 2000 when it reached >over 1000 miles into the Atlantic. These storms and the rising warm >air can lift dust 15,000 feet or so above the African deserts and then >out across the Atlantic, many times reaching as far as the >Caribbean where they often require the local weather services to >issue air pollution alerts as was recently the case in San Juan, Puerto Rico. >Recent studies by the U.S. Geological Survey >(http://catbert.er.usgs.gov/african_dust/) have linked the decline of >the coral reefs in the Caribbean to the increasing frequency and intensity >of Saharan Dust events. Additionally, other studies suggest that >Sahalian Dust may play a role in determining the frequency and intensity >of hurricanes formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean >(http://www.thirdworld.org/role.html) > William E. Kiene, Ph.D. Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History EG-13 MRC-125 Washington DC 20560-0125 Tel: (202) 357-2309 Fax: (202) 786-2832 E-mail: kiene at nmnh.si.edu