[Coral-List] Live coral trade - Philippine exports

[Ian Enochs]

Craig,
With respect to evaluating the impact of invasive species of coral, I think
it is very interesting to take note of Tubastraea coccinea.  Many people
don't realize that the "orange cup coral" that they see covering wrecks and
deeper reefs is actually a Pacific species that is believed to have been
introduced into the Caribbean some time before 1943 (Cairns, 2000).  For a
map of its presumed dispersal see Fenner & Banks 2004.  While the effect of
Tubastraea on native species is poorly understood, Creed (2006) has observed
aggressive interaction with Mussismilia hispida in Brazil and my preliminary
laboratory observations, conducted with native Caribbean species, suggest
that Tubastraea is capable of causing tissue necrosis at limited distances.
Even though this species' introduction was most likely not due to the
aquarium trade, I think it still serves as a relevant example of the
capability of some coral species to invade nonnative waters.

Cheers,

Ian Enochs
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science 
University of Miami 
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy.
Miami, FL 33149

-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Craig
Lilyestrom
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 4:49 PM
To: Lee Goldman
Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Live coral trade - Philippine exports

I've enjoyed the discussion regarding coral export/import. Now, I'd be  
very appreciative if folks could share any thoughts on the potential  
impacts from non-native corals imported through the aquarium trade  
into tropical or subtropical jurisdictions. How concerned should  
managers be about for example, live Pacific corals being imported into  
the Caribbean and sold in aquarium shops?

--Craig


On Feb 15, 2008, at 8:57 AM, Lee Goldman <coralfarmguam at yahoo.com>  
wrote:

> Dear List,
>
>  Currently, no Corals are allowed to be exported from the  
> Philippines. Although I am certain there is an illegal trade  
> happening and we may never know the magnitude or impact, at least  
> the government has tried to curb the harvesting of corals from their  
> already vanishing reefs. Tome, a step in the right direction.Now if  
> we can only get the enforcement issues taken care of...
>
>  Regards,
>
>  Lee Goldman
>  Coral Farm Guam
>  Po Box 6682
>  Tamuning Guam 96931
>  671-646-6744
>  Coralfarmguam at yahoo.com
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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