How are we giving back to the ocean?

[fish farmer]

The part that boggles my mind .
think about it .
someone buys a kitten or puppy .
if it does , are they going back and buying another and another ?

no but corals and fish are different ?

I see where you are coming from.

With any animal there are life spans and even health issues coming into the hobby. I do feel corals and fish are less pet like than a dog or a cat AND can live much longer than a dog or cat. I have green striped mushrooms and brown button polyps that I have had since 2000, but unlike cats that I can spay so they don't produce offspring, my mushrooms left unchecked will overtake my tank.

With marine fish there is a lot of loss just in collecting and transporting. I've heard that many fish in the hobby are still caught with cyanide ( many food fish are caught this way for the Asian market). There really aren't a large amount of cultivated fish for sale in the hobby, so you have to find the good collectors that treat their fish properly.

 

[Bato367]

Just being a poster on reef boards is giving back to real reefs. These phD builds are equal to ones you guys would come up with to impress online peers with an amazing linked frag tank setup.

https://cdhc.noaa.gov/_docs/TCB Small Scale Exp Systems TM Final.pdf


your tools, containers and test kits and arrangements inspire govt funded coral disease research

be proud to be a forum poster.

Never thought of that. Nice.

 

[Bato367]

Reefing keeps me poor enough that I can’t afford a nice big gas-guzzling boat. So I’m doing plenty.

Ha!

 

[Bato367]

If you haven’t seen Chasing Coral, watch it! I highly recommend.

I’ll check it out.

 

[biophilia]

This is a great topic! Thanks so much for bringing it up, and I wish there was sub-forum for these sorts of discussions to be fostered regularly here on R2R.

Given the magnitude of the threat posed by climate change to reefs, one of the most effective things we can do as individuals, or perhaps as an organized collective, is to support organizations and legislation that directly addresses the underlying causes of anthropogenic warming IMO.

Re-planting coral and similar might feel more directly effective (and certainly more interesting and tangible) to those of us who care for these animals in our own homes, but ultimately it's a futile effort if those corals are not engineered with heat-stress tolerant symbiodinium clades. And even that work is futile if efforts to mitigate future warming and acidification of the oceans are unsuccessful.

Some effective ways to give back off the top of my head:

Donate to Cool Earth: This one is what is recommended in Will MacAskill's book "Doing Good Better" as the best climate change charity at the moment. This organization is so effective from an economic perspective that they're able to offset the average American's carbon footprint for roughly $100. To put that into perspective, a Tesla Model 3 @ $40k will lower a single person's carbon footprint by roughly 25% per year of ownership in the best case scenario. That same amount of money given to Cool Earth offsets the entire years carbon footprint of ~400 people.

Creation (and extension) of Marine Protected Areas: Most of the current Marine Protected Areas encompassing coral reef ecosystems don't extend to mesophotic depths. Deep reefs are some of the most biologically diverse and least protected parts of the oceans so advocating for their protection in any way (write, email, call!) is potentially a very effective use of your time if you want to help give back to reefs directly.

Be selective about where you buy your fish and corals. Ask your LFS about what captive-bred fish they carry. Ask about aquacultured corals. Maybe mention you'd be willing to pay a extra for them. In general, providing incentives for responsible business practices given the strain on wild reefs is a really helpful thing. It would be really cool if the reefing community at large could come up with some sort of certification of sustainability that LFS owners and coral/livestock vendors could apply for.

 

[Ravsta]

This is a great topic! Thanks so much for bringing it up, and I wish there was sub-forum for these sorts of discussions to be fostered regularly here on R2R.

Given the magnitude of the threat posed by climate change to reefs, one of the most effective things we can do as individuals, or perhaps as an organized collective, is to support organizations and legislation that directly addresses the underlying causes of anthropogenic warming IMO.

Re-planting coral and similar might feel more directly effective (and certainly more interesting and tangible) to those of us who care for these animals in our own homes, but ultimately it's a futile effort if those corals are not engineered with heat-stress tolerant symbiodinium clades. And even that work is futile if efforts to mitigate future warming and acidification of the oceans are unsuccessful.

Some effective ways to give back off the top of my head:

Donate to Cool Earth: This one is what is recommended in Will MacAskill's book "Doing Good Better" as the best climate change charity at the moment. This organization is so effective from an economic perspective that they're able to offset the average American's carbon footprint for roughly $100. To put that into perspective, a Tesla Model 3 @ $40k will lower a single person's carbon footprint by roughly 25% per year of ownership in the best case scenario. That same amount of money given to Cool Earth offsets the entire years carbon footprint of ~400 people.

Creation (and extension) of Marine Protected Areas: Most of the current Marine Protected Areas encompassing coral reef ecosystems don't extend to mesophotic depths. Deep reefs are some of the most biologically diverse and least protected parts of the oceans so advocating for their protection in any way (write, email, call!) is potentially a very effective use of your time if you want to help give back to reefs directly.

Be selective about where you buy your fish and corals. Ask your LFS about what captive-bred fish they carry. Ask about aquacultured corals. Maybe mention you'd be willing to pay a extra for them. In general, providing incentives for responsible business practices given the strain on wild reefs is a really helpful thing. It would be really cool if the reefing community at large could come up with some sort of certification of sustainability that LFS owners and coral/livestock vendors could apply for.

Wow! Never realised how much of a reduction on your carbon footprint was possible by going electric. That’s crazy. Local and central governments should be raising this awareness so that we are better equipped with the facts. But they’re too busy taxing us and spending the money in the wrong places! Thank you for that insight.

 

[Sallstrom]

Since the global temperature isn't something local, the best we can do is to try to reduce our carbon footprint to help reduce the global temperature increase. For an individual the largest part CO2 is from transport.
So to help the coral reefs try to travel by train instead of plane, bike instead of car etc. Flights are pretty high in CO2 emission..
Also what type of food you buy have an affect. Red meat is more CO2 then carrots and so on.

I'm not saying everyone should go vegan and stop flying But I think if everyone thought about those choices now and then and sometime went for the choice with less CO2 emissions, that might in the long run help the coral reefs.

 

[ThePurple12]

This is a great topic! Thanks so much for bringing it up, and I wish there was sub-forum for these sorts of discussions to be fostered regularly here on R2R.

Given the magnitude of the threat posed by climate change to reefs, one of the most effective things we can do as individuals, or perhaps as an organized collective, is to support organizations and legislation that directly addresses the underlying causes of anthropogenic warming IMO.

Re-planting coral and similar might feel more directly effective (and certainly more interesting and tangible) to those of us who care for these animals in our own homes, but ultimately it's a futile effort if those corals are not engineered with heat-stress tolerant symbiodinium clades. And even that work is futile if efforts to mitigate future warming and acidification of the oceans are unsuccessful.

Some effective ways to give back off the top of my head:

Donate to Cool Earth: This one is what is recommended in Will MacAskill's book "Doing Good Better" as the best climate change charity at the moment. This organization is so effective from an economic perspective that they're able to offset the average American's carbon footprint for roughly $100. To put that into perspective, a Tesla Model 3 @ $40k will lower a single person's carbon footprint by roughly 25% per year of ownership in the best case scenario. That same amount of money given to Cool Earth offsets the entire years carbon footprint of ~400 people.

Creation (and extension) of Marine Protected Areas: Most of the current Marine Protected Areas encompassing coral reef ecosystems don't extend to mesophotic depths. Deep reefs are some of the most biologically diverse and least protected parts of the oceans so advocating for their protection in any way (write, email, call!) is potentially a very effective use of your time if you want to help give back to reefs directly.

Be selective about where you buy your fish and corals. Ask your LFS about what captive-bred fish they carry. Ask about aquacultured corals. Maybe mention you'd be willing to pay a extra for them. In general, providing incentives for responsible business practices given the strain on wild reefs is a really helpful thing. It would be really cool if the reefing community at large could come up with some sort of certification of sustainability that LFS owners and coral/livestock vendors could apply for.

I'll definitely check out Cool Earth.

 

[135zman]

I think the first step is awareness. Many of us are so far from an ocean or reef, that it is not in our immediate thoughts. We will do things for our environment, and that is wonderful and helpful (I am one of those eco nuts myself). But just making people aware of the needs and losses is huge.

We know this stuff, but others do not. When I do my programs at schools, the instructors are always surprised at what I tell the kids. They are just as unaware as the kids themselves. Just getting the word out there about reefs is huge.

My non-profit does this in our area. I would love to bring it to every city in the country, but I hope to at leat inspire others. I have systems in place that work well and am happy to share my programs for other areas. But, it is not easy. It takes a lot of commitment and very little monetary compensation (none actually).

I never know who will get inspired by my programs. Being from Minnesota and never traveling, I was inspired by a beluga whale at the zoo. I hope to light a spark that may one day really bring up a fire.

Could you share a link to your non-profit or general information about your educational program?

 

[DeniseAndy]

link is care4reefs.org

I will give you more specifics when time. Off to work. Thanks for the interest. It is tons of fun.

 

[Casket_Case]

I only purchase corals and fish collected in a sustainable way. I like to use man made dry rock or dead rock, barnacles, oyster clusters, et cetera I’ve found on the beach. Hobbyists also help contribute just from keeping tanks... we come across all sorts of information that can help our oceans. I also like to give to reef saving or ocean exploring foundations. I also support ocean friendly brands when I can even if they’re not Reef associated e.g. Hydroflask, 4ocean, Liquid Death, et cetera.

 

[revhtree]

link is care4reefs.org

I will give you more specifics when time. Off to work. Thanks for the interest. It is tons of fun.

Would be cool to do something with you guys as a community! What could we do to help?

 

[McPuff]

Some great points in here on what we can do as individuals. We'll not solve the problem ourselves but doing anything, as little as it may seem, will make a difference. Share your passion for the Global reefs, educate others in ways they can understand. Educate yourselves on best practices and ways to improve what you do (e.g., fertilizing, energy use, etc.). Lead by example. Support renewable energy. Shop wisely. Recycle!

 

[John08007]

Coral garden ?
I’ve thought for years .

putting corals back that we grow

some have been over collected , why can’t we put some back as they grow ?

The problem is that these corals would need to be put back into the area where they came from. Or, we could end up with a situation like lion fish taking over the reefs of FL

 

[Rmckoy]

The problem is that these corals would need to be put back into the area where they came from. Or, we could end up with a situation like lion fish taking over the reefs of FL

Watching documentaries and reading articles
Some suggest climate and corals just dying .
is placing corals back where they originated only defeating the purpose ?

 

[DeniseAndy]

Would be cool to do something with you guys as a community! What could we do to help?

I will pm you when I come up with some ideas. Maybe get more areas involved through a shared method and programs. you will hear from me. Just not immediately.

 

[Itsadeepbluesea]

I have my Bing search account set up to donate to charity, currently it is an ocean based one.

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is allowed and I don't mean for it to be self promotion but a couple months ago I started up a brand called 35PPT. Currently we sell reef inspired socks that are made locally in Melbourne, Australia and $1.35 from every pair sold goes towards reef restoration programs and organisations.

I think as a hobbysist it essential for us to give back when we can to those keeping the reefs alive and ensuring their future. At the end of the day, nothing beats a real reef ecosystem and I want it to be able to be experienced by everyone now and in the future.

If you want to check the socks out you can here: https://35ppt.co

Regards,

Isaiah

 

[tehmadreefer]

Well we’re actually hurting the ocean by taking it’s animals and killing them.

Just look at how many ppl post deaths on this little forum on a weekly basis and add up how many fish and coral deaths there are. That is only the tip of the iceberg of ppl that actually admit to the deaths and are in this forum. Now imagine everybody else worldwide and the amount of livestock loss by humans in the reef hobby is astonishing.

I for one would embrace a full ban on the hobby actually. My thoughts

 

[ThePurple12]

Well we’re actually hurting the ocean by taking it’s animals and killing them.

Just look at how many ppl post deaths on this little forum on a weekly basis and add up how many fish and coral deaths there are. That is only the tip of the iceberg of ppl that actually admit to the deaths and are in this forum. Now imagine everybody else worldwide and the amount of livestock loss by humans in the reef hobby is astonishing.

I for one would embrace a full ban on the hobby actually. My thoughts

Check this out, thanks @Frigus Reef for sharing it