Comments on Endangered Species Act and Corals

by | Apr 23, 2013 | Conservation, Corals, Industry, Opinion | 0 comments

16 Apr, 2013 Re: Listing of 66 Reef-Building Coral Species; Reclassification of Elkhorn Acropora palmata and Staghorn Acropora cervicornis

I  had  been  following  the  proposed  listing  for  several  years.  It  was  not  until  the  proposed  rule  was published that I had time to fully read the Biological Review Team’s (BRT) Status Review Report (SRR). I  must admit I made the assumption  that NMFS  would  do a fine job reviewing  the topic at hand. It become apparent in my review of the BRT’s assessment that they had little to no knowledge of one of the key areas upon which the SRR is based, namely the trade in corals (including those for home aquariums, as well as dried curio items). I am writing to; 1) provide additional background  and information  on the trade in corals, noting some dramatic  changes  particularly  regarding  live specimens,  that has been omitted  from this review,  2) to question and express my concern over listing of species as endangered with almost a complete lack of any data or information. While it cannot be understated, this process is an enormous task for any agency to undertake.  Reviewing the status of 82 species with ranges cover two vast regions of the World’s oceans presents challenges the authors of the ESA likely never envisioned. Corals are often not discrete populations and thus some of the petitioned “species” are of questionable status.  Our current understanding of the topic is lacking and this lack of understanding makes it nearly impossible for anyone to determine with a level of certainty what a population, species or hybrid is. Our knowledge of Pacific corals is so limited that the MORE: Comments on Endangered Species Act and Corals

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    REEF to RAINFOREST MEDIA is an independent, award-winning publishing house based in Shelburne, Vermont founded in 2009. Reef to Rainforest publishes high-acclaimed magazines, digital content, and books for aquarists and underwater naturalists. CORAL is the world’s leading marine aquarium magazine, read in English in more than 100 countries. Available in high-quality print and digital editions. AMAZONAS is the world’s leading freshwater-only aquarium magazine. Both titles are originally published in German by Matthias Schmidt and Natur und Tier -Verlag, Meunster, Germany, and are now available in English in high-quality print and digital editions produced by Reef to Rainforest Media.

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