The Reef Hobby- An Endangered Species?

[ASAP-Aquarium]

Hi Scott,

Nice call to action!

I wonder if PIJAC can launch a public awareness campaign about the 'collective mind' benefit of the reef aquarium hobby as it pertains to discoveries and developments in coral propagation.

Surely the future preservation of these endangered species can be ensured if the the hobby helps bear the financial and intellectual weight for the scientific community.

 

[Kworker]

They think collection is the issue, yet pollution is the real issue. I volunteer to go pickup trash on the marshes in the bay around Long Island. Its ridiculous how much trash is out there. We have our organization (SPLASH) and FEMA just started cleaning up with us. Think about what the rest of the world is like that doesn't have people volunteering to pick it up.

There is a very small population of reef keepers compared to the large amount of people who pollute and "resort certified" divers/snorkelers that go out on reefs. The only people that should be able to enter the reefs and swim in it should be scuba certified individuals since they actually know how to not knock into everything, in Cozumel you pay a reserve fee as well. Pollution is the real issue and they are just trying to blame it on somebody they can more easily target. Also, how about dredging that takes place on reefs?

Don't even get me started on some of the commercial fishing.

 

[EcoxoticIke]

Very well written article Scott!

 

[ASAP-Aquarium]

Speaking of pollution on the reefs, take a look at this article about sunscreen from tourists damaging reefs:

How Your Sunscreen Hurts Coral Reefs - NationalJournal.com

Perhaps NOAA shuld be more concerned about protecting the reefs in the wild.....

 

[Thales]

They think collection is the issue, yet pollution is the real issue. I volunteer to go pickup trash on the marshes in the bay around Long Island. Its ridiculous how much trash is out there. We have our organization (SPLASH) and FEMA just started cleaning up with us. Think about what the rest of the world is like that doesn't have people volunteering to pick it up.

There is a very small population of reef keepers compared to the large amount of people who pollute and "resort certified" divers/snorkelers that go out on reefs. The only people that should be able to enter the reefs and swim in it should be scuba certified individuals since they actually know how to not knock into everything, in Cozumel you pay a reserve fee as well. Pollution is the real issue and they are just trying to blame it on somebody they can more easily target. Also, how about dredging that takes place on reefs?

Don't even get me started on some of the commercial fishing.

They don't think collection is the issue. Collection is hardly a blip on the radar of NOAA or the CBD - all the other stuff you mention is, and if animals are listed as endangered, other more robust protections come into play, which is part of the reason behind the attempt to list. The legislation is not aimed at the hobby/industry, it just impacts us.

Personally, I would like to see the hobby/industry become active in protecting wild reefs, rather than being reactionary when it looks like there might be an interruption in the supply for the animals we want to keep in our living rooms. I feel that if we were really trying to protect the resource, we would have an easier time of dealing with legislation.

 

[uniquecorals]

Again, awesome points guys.

We just need to keep the visibility up for our hobby in a good and honest light...It's so ironic that the people who perhaps love reefs more than anyone are being most profoundly attacked for causing their demise.

How wierd would it be one day in the far future if scientists and governments were to approach reef hobbyists to help re-populate the corals that vanished long after the trade became illegal.I mean, doubtful, but could you kind of imagine a scenario like that?

-Scott

 

[Kworker]

Again, awesome points guys.

We just need to keep the visibility up for our hobby in a good and honest light...It's so ironic that the people who perhaps love reefs more than anyone are being most profoundly attacked for causing their demise.

How wierd would it be one day in the far future if scientists and governments were to approach reef hobbyists to help re-populate the corals that vanished long after the trade became illegal.I mean, doubtful, but could you kind of imagine a scenario like that?

-Scott

Its imaginable that the hobby itself can contribute greatly to the revitalizing of natural reefs. How much of what is actually known about coral is due to people who consider themselves hobbyists?

 

[Thales]

Again, awesome points guys.

We just need to keep the visibility up for our hobby in a good and honest light...It's so ironic that the people who perhaps love reefs more than anyone are being most profoundly attacked for causing their demise.

-Scott

That is the question though...do people in the hobby love the reefs, or love the reefs in their homes?

This seems to be a real issue - most people don't get out to wild reefs, they just want to make sure the can continue to get animals. I understand that we generally surround ourselves with people that care like Scott (who rocks), but I don't think this makes up the bulk of the hobby and industry. We might be doing ourselves more harm than good thinking that everyone cares.
With the recent activity of small forums or people that have tanks that aren't on the forums that I have had recently, I fear that most people with saltwater tanks don't actually care at all. And, I wonder if we actually had transparency in our chains of custody, and data of what happens to animals after collection, if we would really like what we see.

I am also not sure we are being attacked. These measures are looking at the problem form a wide view - worry about a coming mass extinction - not from the angle of 'the hobby is damaging the reefs' (snorkel bob and rene are, but they are not at all involved in the CBD and NOAA stuff).

Not a mention of our trade: 20 New Coral Species Listed as Threatened Under the Endangered Species Act

 

[thefullmonti]

Maybe all of you coral farms should start looking into the Silk Road, you can peddle your SPS, LPS, and such there you criminals

 

[Goodgreef]

Oh look its this thread again. This has been passed around for 5 or 6 years now. At this point the thing is like a "forwards from grandma"

 

[ReeferRookie]

Although i agree the post got really repetative and.i almost lost interest in reading the whole thing. My suggestion is keep it simple. If u have suggestions how we should help say so. Not all people here have the span.of intention to read ur whole post although it deserves a read

 

[EdansClownHouse]

Thank you Scott! I think you should do some speaking on our behalf to the legislators. You are a wonderful passionate speaker.

 

[NeverlosT]

A lot of the problem is that environmental causes are "Hip" and lets face it, we fish geeks just aren't that "hip". We will have to do quite some lobbying to catch up with the wallets of the enviro-nuts who blindly think that killing off things like the reef aquarium trade are going to stop global warming, overfishing, shipping, pollution, and bring the world's reefs back to health overnight.

Much of the rest is very well said. We need to put our money where our mouths are and speak up!

Also, and this view may be unpopular but I feel that it is true enough to mention, whether we like it or not, a significant portion of hobbyists who call themselves reefers are tragically bad at husbandry and lack the knowhow to keep most critters that they temporarily own. As much as it pains me to say it, many people in this hobby are doing a disservice to wild reefs because they do not give adequate gravity to the task ahead of them and just buy, kill, replace. I know that none of us just started out as old-salt reefers, and I don't have an answer to this issue, but figured I'd bring it up for better or worse because you can be sure that the opponent will. Our hobby is not easy, but if we can SHOW and DOCUMENT real progress, that we can now keep and breed corals, that the average reefer these days is more skilled at coral husbandry than the most talented marine biologist was 15 years ago, then I think we have a chance.

I find that in cases like these, if we can find an alternative to their legislation we will be far more successful than just trying to kill it and be done. An initiative that says we will work to increase aqua and mariculture, that we will push captive bred beginner corals on beginners and seek to reduce wild caught or harvested specimens by 50% over the next 20 years, we may be much more effective at combating this legislature.

I am not sure what the answer is, but I would be more than happy to help find one and enact it.

 

[Mgoc]

If it really means that by doing this the reefs will be safe, I will give up the hobby in a heartbeat, cause after all, it may be the greatest hobby I have ever had but it is nothing compared to the safety of the reefs.

 

[uniquecorals]

They don't think collection is the issue. Collection is hardly a blip on the radar of NOAA or the CBD - all the other stuff you mention is, and if animals are listed as endangered, other more robust protections come into play, which is part of the reason behind the attempt to list. The legislation is not aimed at the hobby/industry, it just impacts us.

Personally, I would like to see the hobby/industry become active in protecting wild reefs, rather than being reactionary when it looks like there might be an interruption in the supply for the animals we want to keep in our living rooms. I feel that if we were really trying to protect the resource, we would have an easier time of dealing with legislation.

Rich, I think you're totally on target...

I would think that if the industry developed and supported its own wild collection quota system, that this would ease the process. I do hope that a distinction could be made between maricultured corals and those taken from wild reefs. There is a wide range of reasons why you'd want to support mariculture, and why these should be treated separately from any quota system for wild animals, IMO.

-Scott

 

[Rjramos]

Let's not lose focus here. Pollution, global warming, harmful collecting/fishing practices, those are some of the issues harming reefs on a major scale! A snorkeler or diver on the reef? I don't think so, otherwise John Pennycamp down here in the keys would have been dead years ago! And whatever damage or bleaching is present I doubt is due to a tourist's sunscreen. IMO.

 

[Oscaror]

All these anti aquarium activists are just a bunch of ingnorant numbskulls. And if this hobby is banned, I'll just watch and laugh as the reefs crumble from these idiots running around in their sunscreen killing a coral each minute. And they'll just blame it on something new.

 

[shred5]

double post

 

[shred5]

I dont have time to post much right now but I have nade several post/threads warning of this bill on several message boards... The thing that is bad is once things are put on the endangered species act I believe they are illegal to even own.. What is sad is it attacks propagation and the corals already in the hobby. I read somewhere you could register your corals on the list before this bill went through making it legal to at least keep them . I need to dig up the information I found on this before so I know exactly.

Placing a economic value on the reefs gives them a reason to be saved, that's what these people dont get. There were allot more corals originally on this list.


My question is where were all the people that stand to loose the most from this and not just the hobbyist. Where was the equipment manufacturers, distributes, importers, coral farmers, retailers, people that own the forums and websites etc.

 

[ryanlotz5]

I totally understand preserving endangered species but I believe saving corals in the ocean is beyond one nations control between lip fish starfish and pollution outbreaks if it wasn't for reefers preserving certain species that may be extinct in the ocean without being given a chance ! That being said I believe it is unfair to prevent us from owning any species of corals however maybe we should have to be licensed to own them ! They should create a coral care knowledge exam and permit to buy them that must be passed like a hsc permit for handguns ! Therefore only knowledgeable reefers can buy them and it will promote noobs to become educated in coral care rather than buying and killing them out of lack of knowledge ! It's a win win for hobbyist and the ocean as we can help preserve these species while enjoying the hobby ! That's all I have to say about that... Lol


Sleep eat reef repeat !!!