[Coral-List] Coral collection vs farming

[Peterrubec at cs.com]

 I agree with Bruce Carleson and Charles Delbeek that coral collection by the 
aquarium trade is not as bad as some here have implied. The export of dry 
corals for the curio trade may be more harmful than the harvest of live corals 
for the aquarium trade.

 We must keep in mind that most corals in the aquarium trade and curio trade 
come from underdeveloped countries with high unemployment and high poverty 
rates.  We need to consider coral reefs to be a resource that should be 
sustainably harvested and sustainably managed.  Hard corals are covered under CITES 
appendix II and hence are managed to some extent by quotas that limit the number 
being exported. 

 I believe that coral farming is the direction to go, since  it can allow 
village-based control of the farms and can be linked to zoning strategies such as 
Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries (TURFs). The municipal governments or 
villages can allocate space (TURFs) for coral farming and other kinds of 
mariculture.  We need to consider stategies that create employment and income for 
local communities.

Peter Rubec, Ph.D.
East Asian Seas and Terrestrial Initiatives (Philippines NGO)
Telapak (Indonesian NGO)





Subj:    Re: [Coral-List] back to corals...     
Date:   10/21/2008 6:02:24 AM Eastern Daylight Time 
From:   jcervino at whoi.edu   
To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov  
CC: exallias at earthlink.net  
Received from Internet: click here for more information 
    


Bruce- My posting as a "research biologist" specifically points out that
scientific research is a valid reason for coral collection. You seem to 
forget
the true meaning of "conservation"! However, you seem to be clouded by the
benefits of corals being brought into the USA for coffee table showings. As
research / "conservation" biologists we are supposed to step up to the plate
and protect the corals from exploitation, which is what is happening within 
the
Aquarium trade today.

PS: I am looking forward to seeing your rapidly recovering reef data showing
that the reefs on Fiji have bounced back to what they looked like pre-global
warming bleaching events of the 1980s and the 1998 event! Instead of backing
the collectors try advocating the complete protection of the remaining corals
left in the gene pool.


James Cervino

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