[Coral-List] Goliath Grouper, is there a future for them?

[Martin Moe]

Not $urprisingly, humanity ha$ a ba$ic problem, not only with environmental problem$ dealing with fishing and over harve$ting of oceanic re$ources, but al$o with terre$trial mineral and organic re$ources as well. And the$e problem$ $tem from our innate animal need$ for territory and natural re$ource$ that, when owned and controlled by an increa$ingly enlarging population of human$ become$ increa$ingly $carce and increa$ingly valuable. But Goliath Grouper are only just one $pecies among many oceanic fi$h. There must be a rea$on why they are $o important to u$ modern human$ that we need/want to kill them. I wonder what that could be?

There are twoelements of human existence that are the tracks upon which the freight train ofhumanity has traveled on ever since we climbed down from the trees. The firstis reproduction, and that includes all the biological, behavioral, and social characteristics that evolved to provide humanity with extensive population expansion; and the second is a drive to acquire power and wealth, which includes everything froma harem of wives, to vast expanses of land, to control of commerce, to the mostinexpensive way to dispose of industrial and biological waste, to scams andexploitation, and to gain ephemeral wealth like accumulation of money. If a valuable naturalresource exists, it is in the ancient nature of mankind to exploit it until it is goneor is no longer valuable. Putting environmental protection ahead of profitable exploitation is a long and difficult path and so far in the big picture, failure has exceeded success. 


Unfortunately, theability of our planet to support humanity and other life, looks like it may bewinding down and will soon be severely reduced, and certainly greatly altered in the not-too-distant future.Our commitment to repair our environment may not be strong enough to prevent itsdecline. However, those that have a great many $$$$ may find a way to survive.Goliath Groupers have no $$$$ with which to protect themselves. Coral reefssupport (have supported) extensive profitable human activity and have had, andstill do have great value to humanity. Unfortunately, they are in the bullseye notonly of direct human exploitation but are also greatly negatively affected bythe effluent of our affluent civilization. 

Martin Moe