# 20 Corals Under Endangered List Act



## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

Perhaps we all need to be aware of some corals under the endangered species list act to date.Maybe some of you even have some of this in your collection so read on.
http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2014...-threatened-under-the-endangered-species-act/


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

awesome list. thanks. 

This applies to corals imported from the US territories right? Not from Indo?


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

Fifteen of the newly listed species occur in the Indo-Pacific and five in the Caribbean a total of 20.


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

I believe that all these are restricted in the aquarium trade in North America and even most probably in Europe and Asia.


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

wow. some of these corals are fairly common in the trade, and are frequently fragged/propagated. It's sad to see native habitat of these corals becoming inhospitable to them.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

There is no real reason to take corals out of the wild anymore since there is an abundance of frags and colonies out there already.

We've already destroyed the ocean already and I see this as a great leap forward towards preserving what we have left


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

I agree that there are a lot of coral frags to go around not to mention the maricultured once that is being sold in the trade.Most of the destructions that has affected these corals are due to human interventions (ie.harvesting,destructive fishing technics and sedimentations).


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

What implications there maybe regarding the future of our hobby perhaps is not in the immediate risk....read on.
http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2014...-coral-listing-for-the-marine-aquarium-trade/


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

*Astounding condition of reefs*

Absolutely agree this has implications on the trade, i.e. now the eyeballs are on it, and it will get more restrictive.

I also believe that reef aquarium hobby (as opposed to just salt water fish hobby) promotes greater interest and care in the salt water life as majority of the focus of environmental work has been on the terra firma. Prior to my interest in reefs, I had very little idea of the state of the oceans and how fragile its inhabitants are to changes in it.

And it is also incredulous how much destruction the reefs and the ocean have undergone in recent years. For instance, I was just reading up on Vietnam's reefs and a report from 2009 states only 1% of its reefs were deemed to be in "good condition" with the balance badly damaged from destructive fishing, agricultural run-offs, and other impacts of accelerated economic development the country has seen in the last two decades. Ornamental trade was not mentioned as a cause, despite having exported over 120,000 kilos of corals that year.

Indonesia is experiencing rapid economic growth as well, and it is poised to become the next BRIC country in the world I believe. This posses dangers to its reefs, which are the source of majority of our joys. A recent study in Indonesia states that only 5% of its reefs are in very good condition while 27% are considered in good condition with a whopping 68% in varying degrees of degradation.

Consider this: what would we do if we discover that *68% or 99% of our forests are declining?* We'd be pressing the PANIC button wouldn't we?

That just shows how low our awareness and lack of concern there is.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/environment/indonesia-coral-reefs-30-damaged-scientists/


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

Well breaking news that Ret Talbot has confirmed that USFW are giving notice to the trade not to import the 20 listed.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blo...-import-the-20-newly-listed-threatened-corals


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

......just as expected and the rest will follow.


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

*Hold yer horses there Big Hoss*

Apparently the USFWS 'misinterpreted' the situation...

From Reefbuilders:


> We have confirmed the USFWS was incorrectly restricting some wholesalers regarding the 20 species of corals recently listed as threatened as illegal to import. Apparently the local offices in Los Angeles were interpreting things different than the folks back at the National Marine Fisheries (NMFS) who control the listings.
> We spoke directly to Paul Mckinn, Assistant Director of External Affairs US fish and Wildlife Service and Walter Osborn who oversees the port of Los Angeles enforcement division. The Good catch blog is also reporting the new update and while today's back-and-forth news might seem like a scare, this is a very real potential outcome for our beloved corals.
> 
> Read more: http://reefbuilders.com/2014/09/16/...sing-trade-coming-esa-listings/#ixzz3DWkRN6JU


What Ret Talbot has to say... https://rettalbot.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/usfws-errs-but-aquarium-trade-still-spooked/


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