The Saltwater Aquatics Industry is in major jeopardy: Reef Builders

[revhtree]

Ryan Gripp from Reef Builders has written a nice article warning us of some coral regulations that would be bad for our hobby. Read the full article and then go and leave a comment if you want to oppose these regulations here: Regulations.gov

Last week, we reported on the process to start legislation to ban 20 species of corals in the U.S. Territories. The process does take time to work its way through the United States and as we again reported last week the phase the 20 corals are in is the commenting phase. The commenting phase is very important because it acts as a barometer if the National Marine Fisheries Service were to issue a “no take†provision on the corals then there would be a public outcry.

Sadly though it looks more and more like the corals are headed into receiving that “no take†(4d) provision. As of this writing the industry has only given 12 comments. Suppose for moment we can live without those 20 corals but as we were talking to Jack Kent this morning that is not our only concern:

“The intent of these regulations is to stop corals from coming into the country at all and to outlaw selling them or taking them across state lines. This will devastate the hobby, if we don’t take strong action. NOAA picked 20 diverse corals, that look like most of the stonies in the world, just so they could use the regulation that says if an agent can’t identify something and it looks similar to a threatened species, they can stop the importation just based on that.â€

Read more: The Saltwater Aquatics Industry is in major jeopardy


Please post in this thread once you have left a comment to keep this bumped to the top!

Comment Link: Regulations.gov

 

[reefwiser]

I wrote my thoughts on the regulation and sent it to all my club members to get them to do it too.

 

[reef_ranch]

I commented on NOAA's comment page. Did all of you?? Let's have our voices heard or one day you may be raided by a US agent looking for Acorpora lokani or A. speciosa or any of the other 20 threatened corals that may well be legally in your tank today, but illegally in your tank in 6 months.

 

[blkhawk10]

Just commented, I hope this doesn't go thru.

 

[acesfull44]

I left a comment!

 

[d5332]

hmmm... If its the article I read and video I watched I am on the side of if the government is considering regulating it must mean that we have driven the industry to do undesirable things to the worlds natural reefs.

Money is the root of most evils and it does not surprise me that the government would like to protect certain coral species.

Does anyone on all of the boards understand the industry? The collection process and lack thereof? The ridiculously low wages that the native divers get paid? The pressures that they put on them to collect vast quantities of specimens?

If the government regulates as a means to protect we will get used to it once the dust settles. Maybe once and for all aqua-culturing will actually go mainstream and become a real industry seeded by some of the corals already floating around in fish tanks.

We may also see a decrease in ridiculously priced corals which in this impulse driven hobby have caused unnecessary personal problems to some of the hobbyists, heck, some even divorce.

 

[GnarleyMarley]

Commented. TTT

 

[TJ's Reef]

I just left this comment and hope many others will make their interests known. I am not a Black & White person, not even to possible regulations as these recently proposed but surely want to do my part in keeping this Hobby/Industry around IMHO for the 'Greater Good' of the Oceans Reefs and resources in general.

As a decades long Marine Aquarium Hobbyist aka Reefkeeper and having worked in most of the encompassing fields of the industry I absolutely believe in and often preach sustainable ethical collection practices and would totally back some form of regulated collection and importation within our industry BUT would also absolutely fear that we then would become the primary focus of Natural/Wild Reef decline/decimation when the FACTS prove that WE are only a very small part of the Real Issues to the Worlds Reef's health and well being. WE as a group have more interests in preserving these World's Wonders than most any other group involved yet lacking High Profile Lobbyists become the target for groups that do and ultimately point their fingers and the public's attention towards us as the 'Bad Guys' .


I/we totally understand that fighting, regulating and even keeping an eye on 'Big Corporations' is a massive and expensive undertaking yet as true Sheppard's of the Seas we as a group could/should be utilized as allies not enemies to the cause. There are many concerned individuals and businesses within this industry that would gladly HELP to conserve and protect the Fish and Corals of Temperate to Tropical Seas even under some regulations directly aimed at us IF the primary focus of NOAA was to curb the damage caused by the real culprits. We can be thousands of eyes, hands and voices volunteering to help for the 'Greater Good' or not if you continue this absurd quest to conquer the Aquarium Hobbyists of the World.


If and when the time comes to repopulate damaged or extinct Reefs with Native Coral and Fish Species WE the Marine Aquarium Hobbyists including many professional Marine Biologists, Chemists, and Associates in the Industry like Aquaculture and Mariculture facilities will be in dire need. Without an ongoing hobby this industry will collapse and leave little hope for the survival of the World's Wild Reefs. There is very little faith that the other groups/industries will/can do anything at all but start another 'Blame Game' and once again distract the Public from the real issues or causes of the then destroyed ecosystem's.


I implore you to take a realistic look and approach to this matter. Please let us help, not alienate your best group of allies you could possibly have in tackling these very serious issues at hand.


Sincerely, Todd Lachmann


Cheers, Todd

 

[reef_ranch]

hmmm... If its the article I read and video I watched I am on the side of if the government is considering regulating it must mean that we have driven the industry to do undesirable things to the worlds natural reefs.

Money is the root of most evils and it does not surprise me that the government would like to protect certain coral species.

Does anyone on all of the boards understand the industry? The collection process and lack thereof? The ridiculously low wages that the native divers get paid? The pressures that they put on them to collect vast quantities of specimens?

If the government regulates as a means to protect we will get used to it once the dust settles. Maybe once and for all aqua-culturing will actually go mainstream and become a real industry seeded by some of the corals already floating around in fish tanks.

We may also see a decrease in ridiculously priced corals which in this impulse driven hobby have caused unnecessary personal problems to some of the hobbyists, heck, some even divorce.

All valid points, but you are missing the issue. The 20 coral species (which include many that are commonly found in our tanks) have already been listed at threatened. They will be protected under the regulations that apply to the collection and import of them. The issue that NOAA is taking comment on is whether the 20 corals should be subject to the rule that prevents anyone from owning these corals. This would require us to destroy every A. loripes and A. speciosa, (2 of the 20), that we have in our tanks right now, whether they were legally collected or not (and they likely were since the threatened status just went into effect)!! I hope it is ok to link to this reefbuilder post, but please read it and comment on NOAA's page. Throwing out the baby with the bathwater is a bad way to regulate! National Marine Fisheries Service requests Comments from public to ascertain a potential 4(d) ruling on threatened corals

 

[jmowbray]

This is a very important issue and I don't want to sound like I'm playing it down. But I simply do not have time to write a well written email to them starting how I feel. Does any one know of a pre-made petition that goes to them that we could forward the link to? Something like **********

 

[Oscaror]

Why can't I find out what corals are getting illegalized?! I'm in Canada so it doesn't affect me too much, but most aquarists are in the US, what does this mean? Most of the equipment companies that make out beloved lights and supplements and other equipment are in the US, and their business will do poorly if they lose so many customers, so we aquarists in other countries need to be concerned too!
And if the hobby is such a big threat, why don't they illegalize imports from outside the US, have they ever heard of aquaculture? (of course not, politicians know nothing)

 

[kacrocorals581]

I left my comments on there site as should everyone here if you love our hobby

 

[Steve_Mac]

I posted a comment. I also sent a link to a professor at a college and my LFS to maybe help get some more responses.

 

[ReeferEric]

It's crazy but gone viral on facebook. Hopefully we get more info into this, lucky for me FMAS has a representative from PIJAC speaking at our monthly meeting tomorrow.

 

[Stubaca]

Commented!!

 

[gidenski]

Posted. :nerd:

 

[2Sunny]

I posted a comment. I also sent a link to a professor at a college and my LFS to maybe help get some more responses.

Where on Facebook is it going "viral" and do you mean viral in favor of the hobby or viral in favor of protection? I only ask because I would obviously be interested in adding my "like" to any viral movement that is supportive of our hobby.

Thanks!

 

[RalphsReef]

Commented.

 

[Eric N]

Commented. I basically said that 1) a lot of us don't even buy wild caught corals, so preventing ownership or interstate transportation would just be a wasted effort. 2) There are other regulations to consider that would be more effective at preserving coral species. 3) Conservation money is generally few and far between, so as a concession, finding a way to divert more money from the business into mariculture restocking efforts would be more effective than stopping ownership.

I know we already pay a lot for our hobby. But, I honestly think that putting a higher tax on wild caught species that goes directly to conservation and restocking efforts would have a positive impact on the reefs, allow us to keep our corals, and push the market harder towards mari/aquaculture. Then, mariculture farms can also work to restock dying reefs with our money.

 

[CausticGuy]

Commented.