[Coral-List] Another Approach

Thu Aug 24 03:50:27 UTC 2023

That’s a great idea Phil and one many think about. Possibly an application process aquarists can apply for to demonstrate capacity and capability which would allow them to purchase these corals. Additionally, aquariums provide a sort of bottleneck for resilient genotypes capable of dealing with stress better. You also target more “fluorescent” color varieties which can deflect light and heat more efficiently. Notice how GFP (green corals) are the most dominant color variety in aquariums because they survive the most. Reefers are always trying to get more non-green colored corals because they end up having so much green coral. 

Let’s also not forget that a majority of the “science” based coral nursery/aquariums currently use technology and equipment designed by, and fine tuned by, the aquarium trade. That’s not to say it doesn’t work both ways however. 

I remember walking into a “state-of-the-art” coral nursery in Hawaii and seeing that it was ran by the same equipment I used to sell to hobbyists in New York (I.e., ecotech lighting) and Neptune Apex Control Sytems. The facility was no larger than our New York Based shop (but probably costed 3x more $ to operate) In fact, when working at Manhattan Aquariums we were one of the first companies ever to implement the Neptune Apex controllers in combination with Trident ICP-OES auto dosing machines to create enriched seawater to grow corals faster and more colorful. 

I’m also pretty sure that the simple use of cyanoacrylate glued to mount Frags onto ceramic coral plugs was developed by aquarists as well. Could be wrong on that though. 

Here is the MAJOR CON:  disease… mixing corals like this into reef tanks will inevitably spawn unique coral microbiomes and based on how little/much we know of the coral microbiomes this would be a concern. 

But hey, there’s a conservation market to be tapped into. “Reefers” (coral hobbyists) would gladly pay $$$$$$ for coral fragments which could be in turn used to conserve areas of the ocean or further propagate corals. 

With Humility & Respect,
Damien Lord Beri

E: DamienBeri at gmail.com
E2: DamienBeri at thecoralconservancy.org

C: +1 (917) 543-2164

Owner: The Waikiki Aquarium Service LLC

President: The Coral Conservancy 501(c)(3)

B.S. Biology, The College Of Charleston

M.A. Marine Conservation & Policy, Stony Brook University

> On Aug 23, 2023, at 8:25 AM, Phillip Dustan via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> 
> 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
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