[Coral-List] Another Approach

[Phillip Dustan]

Greetings Listers,
Dr. Katie Muzak recently alerted me to a Washington Post article about
ongoing attempts to prevent the extinction of the endemic akikiki bird on
Maui which is facing loss of habitat and mosquitos. Then came the fires on
Maui which threatened the very human sanctuaries that had been built for
the bird.
 A similar process is playing out with corals around the world,
especially . in Florida.  While we may not like the idea, zoos are
becoming extinction sanctuaries, not just prison camps for animals. But
these efforts are not nearly enough. As daunting a challenge as it is, I
would like to call your attention to a seemingly untapped resource we
"people of science" seem to discount and that is the thousands of reef
aquarists that routinely keep corals alive in captivity. In fact, they have
turned it into a multimillion dollar global industry, even
manufacturing their own seawater!  FYI, aquarium keeping  is one of the
largest hoppies on the planet.
  The distributed nature of the "hobby" combined with the expertise of the
aquarists suggests to me that a very large network could be created to care
for and propagate Caribbean corals, similar to what is now occurring with
Indo-Pacific species. Their skills are amazing and by creating a large
distributed network they could establish metapopulations that would be far
less prone to extinction than the few facilities now in operation.
Aquarists in countries throughout the Caribbean could collaborate with
their government and university agencies to establish metapopulations
within metapopulations throughout the region.
I would bet that Aquarists, who have developed the knowledge and have the
enthusiasm, would be enthusiastic  to help prevent the extinction of the
Caribbean reef corals. For sure, it would take some changes in existing
regulations and some change in attitudes, but  I'll bet the salt water
aquarium community would welcome the opportunity to participate. A few
highly controlled "Noah's Arks" cannot compare to the resilience provided
by having hundreds, if not thousands of reef aquaria.
I think it is time to think a little out-of-the-box and entrust the future
of reefs to more than "science", restoration, management and government
regulations.
Just imagine the possibilities!
Phil
-- 



Phillip Dustan PhD
Charleston SC  29424
843-953-8086 office
843-224-3321 (mobile)

"When we try to pick out anything by itself
we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords
that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe. "
*                                         John Muir 1869*

*A Swim Through TIme on Carysfort Reef*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPJE7UE6sA
*Raja Ampat Sustainability Project video*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RR2SazW_VY&fbclid=IwAR09oZkEk8wQkK6LN3XzVGPgAWSujACyUfe2Ist__nYxRRSkDE_jAYqkJ7A
*Bali Coral Bleaching 2016 video*

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOfLTnPSUo
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxOfLTnPSUo>*
TEDx Charleston on saving coral reefs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwENBNrfKj4
Google Scholar Citations:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HCwfXZ0AAAAJ