[Coral-List] Delayed Ruling on proposed ESA coral may wipe out 2014 summer, field work in US waters?

Eugene Shinn eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu
Tue Oct 1 11:24:30 EDT 2013


The listing of /Acropora/ was a political/emotional/economic move based 
on minimal science to start with. That the NMFS was unable to complete a 
recovery plan in the time specified by the ESA was a direct result of 
the fact that exact causes of die-back was not known. So what do we 
protect them from?  Furthermore, Acroporids were never facing extinction 
throughout their range  and  CBD is now blaming die-back on CO2 and 
"coral reef acidification" of which there is no supporting evidence. 
NMFS of course is aware of this and thus was unable to address CO2 and 
acidification in their recovery plan. Besides there are indications the 
Genus is recovering and there remain local patches of extensive growth 
throughout the Caribbean, Florida Keys and Ft. Lauderdale area. If the 
cause of die-back is unknown liting insures that the research needed to 
help the coral recover is impeded. The needed paperwork to do any 
research, as Delbeek pointed out, is daunting. If cool heads prevail 
and  the corals continue to recover maybe CBD will back away from their 
legal demands. Isn't it amazing how the /Acropora/ nurseries in the 
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary continue to thrive! 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
College of Marine Science Room 221A
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eugeneshinn at mail.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158
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