Hey everybody i just got this in my email from paul at indoor reef
BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
PETITION TO LIST
83 CORAL SPECIES UNDER
THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
I am writing you so that you are aware of what is going on, and to let you know that us as hobbyists in the industry can submit responses to the government regarding this act to stress ideas, facts, and alternative recommendations to consider.
Obviously coral reef conservation is extremely important, and it is necessary to ensure that the health of reefs worldwide are regulated, but banning the coral trade altogether based off of inadequate data that has been collected is not the answer.
In addition to recommending that further research needs to be conducted, incentives and recommendations for aquaculturing and mariculturing corals should be considered. Also, it is important not to forget that this industry alone provides for the economies of small islands and different nations worldwide; Thus, if the coral trade were to be banned, families worldwide would be without jobs or any sort of income whatsoever.
To read the actual petition, here is the link:
READ THE PETITION
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/coral_petition_cbd.pdf
To submit your own comments to the government, here is the link:
RESPOND TO THIS PETITION
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a90b1f
In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to list under the ESA and designate critical habitat for these species, NMFS is reviewing the status of the following 82 "candidate species" of corals (all petitioned species except for the Large Ivory Coral, Oculina varicosa):
1. Acanthastrea brevis
2. Acanthastrea hemprichii
3. Acanthastrea ishigakiensis
4. Acanthastrea regularis
5. Acropora aculeus
6. Acropora acuminate
7. Acropora aspera
8. Acropora dendrum
9. Acropora donei
10. Acropora globiceps
11. Acropora horrida
12. Acropora jacquelineae
13. Acropora listeri
14. Acropora lokani
15. Acropora microclados
16. Acropora palmerae
17. Acropora paniculata - Fuzzy Table Coral
18. Acropora pharaonis
19. Acropora polystoma
20. Acropora retusa
21. Acropora rudis
22. Acropora speciosa
23. Acropora striata
24. Acropora tenella
25. Acropora vaughani
26. Acropora verweyi
27. Agaricia lamarcki - Lamarck's Sheet Coral
28. Alveopora allingi
29. Alveopora fenestrate
30. Alveopora verrilliana
31. Anacropora puertogalerae
32. Anacropora spinosa
33. Astreopora cucullata
34. Barabattoia laddi
35. Caulastrea echinulata
36. Cyphastrea agassizi - Agassiz's Coral
37. Cyphastrea ocellina - Ocellated Coral
38. Dendrogyra cylindrus
39. Dichocoenia stokesii - Elliptical Star Coral
40. Euphyllia cristata
41. Euphyllia paraancora
42. Euphyllia paradivisa
43. Galaxea astreata
44. Heliopora coerulea
45. Isopora crateriformis
46. Isopora cuneata
47. Leptoseris incrustans
48. Leptoseris yabei
49. Millepora foveolata
50. Millepora tuberosa
51. Montastraea annularis - Boulder Star Coral
52. Montastraea faveolata - Mountainous Star Coral
53. Montastraea franksi
54. Montipora angulata
55. Montipora australiensis
56. Montipora calcarea
57. Montipora caliculata
58. Montipora dilatata - Hawaiian Reef Coral/Irregular Rice Coral
59. Montipora flabellata - Blue Rice Coral
60. Montipora lobulata
61. Montipora patula - Sandpaper Rice Coral/Spreading Coral/Ringed Rice Coral
62. Mycetophyllia ferox
63. Pachyseris rugosa
64. Pavona bipartite
65. Pavona cactus
66. Pavona decussate
67. Pavona diffluens
68. Pavona venosa
69. Pectinia alcicornis
70. Physogyra lichtensteini
71. Pocillopora danae
72. Pocillopora elegans
73. Porites horizontalata
74. Porites napopora
75. Porites nigrescens
76. Porites pukoensis
77. Psammocora stellata - Stellar Coral
78. Seriatopora aculeata
79. Turbinaria mesenterina
80. Turbinaria peltata
81. Turbinaria reniformis
82. Turbinaria stellula
BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
PETITION TO LIST
83 CORAL SPECIES UNDER
THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
I am writing you so that you are aware of what is going on, and to let you know that us as hobbyists in the industry can submit responses to the government regarding this act to stress ideas, facts, and alternative recommendations to consider.
Obviously coral reef conservation is extremely important, and it is necessary to ensure that the health of reefs worldwide are regulated, but banning the coral trade altogether based off of inadequate data that has been collected is not the answer.
In addition to recommending that further research needs to be conducted, incentives and recommendations for aquaculturing and mariculturing corals should be considered. Also, it is important not to forget that this industry alone provides for the economies of small islands and different nations worldwide; Thus, if the coral trade were to be banned, families worldwide would be without jobs or any sort of income whatsoever.
To read the actual petition, here is the link:
READ THE PETITION
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/coral_petition_cbd.pdf
To submit your own comments to the government, here is the link:
RESPOND TO THIS PETITION
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a90b1f
In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to list under the ESA and designate critical habitat for these species, NMFS is reviewing the status of the following 82 "candidate species" of corals (all petitioned species except for the Large Ivory Coral, Oculina varicosa):
1. Acanthastrea brevis
2. Acanthastrea hemprichii
3. Acanthastrea ishigakiensis
4. Acanthastrea regularis
5. Acropora aculeus
6. Acropora acuminate
7. Acropora aspera
8. Acropora dendrum
9. Acropora donei
10. Acropora globiceps
11. Acropora horrida
12. Acropora jacquelineae
13. Acropora listeri
14. Acropora lokani
15. Acropora microclados
16. Acropora palmerae
17. Acropora paniculata - Fuzzy Table Coral
18. Acropora pharaonis
19. Acropora polystoma
20. Acropora retusa
21. Acropora rudis
22. Acropora speciosa
23. Acropora striata
24. Acropora tenella
25. Acropora vaughani
26. Acropora verweyi
27. Agaricia lamarcki - Lamarck's Sheet Coral
28. Alveopora allingi
29. Alveopora fenestrate
30. Alveopora verrilliana
31. Anacropora puertogalerae
32. Anacropora spinosa
33. Astreopora cucullata
34. Barabattoia laddi
35. Caulastrea echinulata
36. Cyphastrea agassizi - Agassiz's Coral
37. Cyphastrea ocellina - Ocellated Coral
38. Dendrogyra cylindrus
39. Dichocoenia stokesii - Elliptical Star Coral
40. Euphyllia cristata
41. Euphyllia paraancora
42. Euphyllia paradivisa
43. Galaxea astreata
44. Heliopora coerulea
45. Isopora crateriformis
46. Isopora cuneata
47. Leptoseris incrustans
48. Leptoseris yabei
49. Millepora foveolata
50. Millepora tuberosa
51. Montastraea annularis - Boulder Star Coral
52. Montastraea faveolata - Mountainous Star Coral
53. Montastraea franksi
54. Montipora angulata
55. Montipora australiensis
56. Montipora calcarea
57. Montipora caliculata
58. Montipora dilatata - Hawaiian Reef Coral/Irregular Rice Coral
59. Montipora flabellata - Blue Rice Coral
60. Montipora lobulata
61. Montipora patula - Sandpaper Rice Coral/Spreading Coral/Ringed Rice Coral
62. Mycetophyllia ferox
63. Pachyseris rugosa
64. Pavona bipartite
65. Pavona cactus
66. Pavona decussate
67. Pavona diffluens
68. Pavona venosa
69. Pectinia alcicornis
70. Physogyra lichtensteini
71. Pocillopora danae
72. Pocillopora elegans
73. Porites horizontalata
74. Porites napopora
75. Porites nigrescens
76. Porites pukoensis
77. Psammocora stellata - Stellar Coral
78. Seriatopora aculeata
79. Turbinaria mesenterina
80. Turbinaria peltata
81. Turbinaria reniformis
82. Turbinaria stellula
