[Coral-List] Acropora listing

[Gene Shinn]

Thank you Jennifer for answering my basic question. I am surprised 
that Commerce took jurisdiction of the ESA as early as 1973 because 
it was a few years after that (and before establishment of Looe Key 
Sanctuary) when some of us were involved with the proposed listing of 
Pillar coral. At that time Fish and Wild service took charge of the 
issue. At  issue was the decline of the species due to collecting for 
the aquarium trade etc., so it was a pretty simple case. Simply 
outlaw collecting of pillar coral and it would come back. Fish and 
Wildlife ruled against listing because the species was not threatened 
throughout its entire range. Coral diseases had not yet appeared nor 
had FKNMS. Now many species are in decline due to diseases as 5-years 
of EPA/NOAA funded monitoring studies in FKNMS have shown. Thanks 
again, Best Wishes, Gene
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No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
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E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
Marine Science Center (room 204)
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158---------------------------------- 
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