NOAA Proposes Listing 66 Reef-building Coral Species as Endangered

[mFrame]

http://www.nmfs.noaa...1/82corals.html

This is important because several species listed are common to our hobby, frogspawn is the best example. Should it be listed as endangered we could not only lose the ability to collect it (minor), but could lose the ability to own/propagate/frag it within the hobby as well.

November 30, 2012

NOAA Fisheries is proposing Endangered Species Act(ESA) listings for 66 coral species: 59 in the Pacific and seven in the Caribbean.

• In the Pacific, seven species would be listed as endangered and 52 as threatened.
  
• In the Caribbean, five would be listed as endangered and two as threatened.
  
• In addition, we are proposing that two Caribbean species—elkhorn and staghorn corals—already listed under the ESA be reclassified from threatened to endangered.
  

How to Participate

This proposed listing is not yet final. Before making a final decision on this proposal, we are asking for comments from all interested parties. The public has 90 days to provide additional comments, which will be considered before NOAA issues its final decision. There are several ways to participate including:

• Submit a public comment online. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2010-0036 into the keyword search.
  
• Attend one of the public hearings in the Pacific islands or Southeast regions to be held in January and February 2013. Details for these hearings are listed in the Federal Register Notice and in this table.
  
• Join the national stakeholder webinar on December 19, 2012, at 4:00PM EST. We will post details here when available.
  
• Join one of several webinars, which will be announced on this web page when available.
  

Full list of the proposed species here: http://www.nmfs.noaa...osed_corals.pdf

It would be great if someone would like to write and post a standard form letter here for use by members. I'm not sure exactly what we should request or comment, but active discussion could help us settle that.

[victoly]

The only one that immediately popped out at me was frogspawn. Someone who is better taxonomically (timfish ) could check the list and make sure we're not missing any. Honestly, I'm fine with restricting collecting, as long as ownership and propagated corals are exempted.

[BBMarlin]

I don't see anywhere to add a comment to the link you provided Mike, they all say Comment Period Closed.

-brett

Edited December 3, 2012 by mFrame (Mike)
removed external link, original link sourced in top of thread

[Aqua-Dome]

It would be nice to see some explanation of why only branching species of euphyllia are of concern, or similarly why Candy cane C. echinulata is threatened and not C. furcata, etc. All corals are endangered, but I guess you have to start somewhere. However, if this action criminalizes the captive propagation of species, what terrible threat to the species themselves which may one day ONLY survive in captive aquaria.

[mFrame]

One of the others I noticed was Acropora lokani. The concern is how many people can identify these just by looking at them?

It does look like the Comment Period is closed, with public discussions limited to Florida, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, etc. (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2012/11/docs/public_hearings_list.pdf).

It looks like the only real way for us to participate is via the "national stakeholder webinar on December 19, 2012, at 4:00PM EST", with details to be posted at some point in the future.

[victoly]

I'll gladly participate in the pacific island stakeholder meeting . A letter to our federal reps would probably be well served. The last thing USFWS wants is for congress to get involved. In a state where business and lack of federal intervention is a priority, it might be pretty easy to appeal to those folks.

[George Monnat Jr]

My Frogspawn has been propagating itself. I noticed three little heads laying around after doing a water change yesterday. I don't see how something that grows that fast and well in captivity should be banned from captivity - typical stupid bureaucracy.

[Timfish]

. . . It looks like the only real way for us to participate . . .

PIJAC, Pet Industry Joint Advisory Cuonsil, hasn't listed anything on this yet that I could find with a quick look on their website but they were very active last year with the proposed ban last year on Yellow Tangs in Hawaii. Anybody can join them here: https://www.pijac.or...forms/index.asp

. . .The concern is how many people can identify these just by looking at them? . . .

Exactly! In many cases species identification is not possible by even experienced aquarists. Isopora is the only subgenus of Acropora but it can only be identified on the basis of the "coenosteum microstructure" (the skeletal structure underneath the septia plates in the wall of a corallite [polyp]). Pull out your microscopes people. Further, some genera are so poorly researched there are only a few experts world wide and the taxonomic classifications are being changed everytime new research is done.

. . . I'm fine with restricting collecting, as long as ownership and propagated corals are exempted.

I am definitely in favor of regulations restricting collection and protecting species. In my view smart regulation not only protects a species but helps create an economic incentive for people to protect it. This seems to me to allow for maintaining a species in captivity and in many, but not all, cases regulated collection of wild specimans. On the flip side I'm surprised Staghorn and Elkhorn corals have taken so long to make the list.

The Euphillia species listed are not the ones we normally keep in our aquariums but sibling species. Becasue of the simularity of E. parancora and E. ancora and overlapping distribution I would not be surprised if E. parancora was mistakenly imported or, unfortunately, smuggled in as E. ancora. Veron¹ states the species can only be deteremined by tenticle structure but looking at his pictures I can't see a difference between the two. E. paradivisa looks kinda like a cross between Anchor and Frogspawn. What I wonder is why E. paraglabrescens (very similar to E. glabrescens, Torch coral) which is known from only one location in Japan is not listed while E. parancora which has a wide geographic distribution throughout the indo-pacific is listed.

Unfortunately, the USDA's proposed regulations regarding captive birds a few years ago provides an an example of the just how absurd some bureaucrates can be. Proposed regulations included the registration of ALL captive birds and would have required permits for each bird to be moved from it's registered address. Proposed fimes for first time violation would be a $1000 per bird per day. Fortunately for me, I own a Citron Cockatoo, the chicken owners were able to shoot that one down.

¹ J. E. N. Veron, Corals of the World, pg 68 - 81

[mFrame]

Here's a follow up article to this topic citing that the hobby may actually help preserve the reef:

http://www.reefs.com/blog/2012/12/19/coral-reefs-may-be-preserved-by-the-coral-trade-according-to-a-recent-study/

I've also had a running conversation with Nick Ireland (Seaworld San Antonio, Secore) who will be chiming in shortly after an upcoming meeting about this.