[Coral-List] coral mining on Majuro

[Dean Jacobson]

Listers:
 
For those interested in seeing the equipment that will be used to mine the fringing coral reef on Majuro, opposite the water reservoirs, to provide fill by the US FAA mandated and funded RSA project for the Majuro airport, see either my Flickr photostream:
www.flickr.com/photos/32702872 at N03/
 
or two short video clips: (sadly out of focus)
http://youtu.be/03b-xBmqy-s             http://youtu.be/FJHNZp2R7-k
 
I was harrassed by a PII employee while filming (he demanded "who sent you to film?")

This recent mining is at a long-dredged site (Lojemwa), west of the airport.  PII hopes to relocate this 200 ton crane by barge to the reservoir shoreline soon.
I have not had any replies, feed-back or updates from FAA or the US Coral Reef Task Force.  The US embassy here continues to refuse to meet with me.
This reef should not be mined; on a dive this weekend to sample the colorful blue (actually violet) Pocillopora patch, I again encountered the same school of over 100 young goat fish, hanging motionless in the water column, preparing to bed down for the night.  I also encountered many hundreds of parrotfish.
 
I do not understand why a rational, economical switch to barge or vessel mining of lagoon sediments away from shallow coral reefs is not being considered and actively pursued.  It is a valid and necessary alternative.
So far, my overtures to the NRDC have not generated any responses.  Do we just sit around and watch this reef be destroyed?  Is that the best the US can do?
 
Cheers,
Dean Jacobson