Coral-list\u00a0 March 2, 2010<\/p>\n
This is a post by our friend Dr. James Cervino that is part of an online discussion on the NOAA Coral-list about adding 82 more corals to the U.S. Endangered Species List and the need for stopping the trade in live corals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr. Coral Collector-<\/p>\n
What I will also do is collect the invoices of corals from 2 different hobby
\nstores in NYC that have imported Pacific Corals for the last 2 decades.\u00a0 I know
\nfor sure that these are wild collected corals. During 1991-93 we personally
\nwitnessed the crobar collection of soft corals from reefs between Sipadan and
\nTawau. There were corals placed in bags and tied up awaiting for pick up.<\/p>\n
Illegal Collection<\/p>\n
I\u00a0 also want to commend John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for
\nthe Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division,\u00a0 Kent
\nRobinson, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, Special
\nAgent in Charge of Law Enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
\nPacific Region, based in Portland and Vicki Nomura and Dwight Holton for
\nputting some of these deforesters out of commission.<\/p>\n
Legal Collection (Deforestation)<\/p>\n
The internationaclo ralt radeb etween 1985 and 1997 was comprehensively reviewed
\nby Green and Shirley, based on data from 70 coral importing and exporting
\nnations. They report that approximately 2 million coral pieces per year were
\nexported over this period, with the USA imports accounting for 56%b y weighto f
\nthe global trade and those of the European U nion 15%. Since export\u00a0 to f corals
\nwas banned in the Philippines in the late 1980s, Indonesia has become the major
\ncoral exporting nation (36% of supply in 1999). The coral trade peaked in the
\nearly 1990s at around 4000 tonnes (t) yr-‘ and has subsequently declined t o
\nabout 1000 t yr-‘. The value of the trade
\nin 1997 USD 50 million in retail sales.<\/p>\n
SOME MORE FACTS:<\/p>\n
\u2022 In 1997, according to CITES data (of permitted exports), the major exporters
\nof live coral were Indonesia (71%), Fiji (12%), and Solomon Islands (6%). The
\nmajor exporters of live rock were Fiji (89% by weight) and Indonesia (74% by
\npiece).<\/p>\n
\u2022 According to CITES, the United States is the largest importer of live coral
\nand reef rock, bringing in more than 80% of the livecoral trade (more than
\n400,000 pieces a year) and more than half of the marine aquarium fish sold
\nworldwide.<\/p>\n
HOW MUCH IS BEING HARVESTED FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE?
\n\u2022 According to the CITES database, in 1996, permitted coral exports produced 2.5
\nmillion pieces of live coral, 739 tons (670,000 kg) of raw coral, and 31,000
\ncolonies of black coral.<\/p>\n
\u2022 About 3,000 tons (2,721,600 kg) of coral enter international trade each year
\nfor use in aquariums, according to the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association.<\/p>\n
\u2022 CITES reported 19,262 tons (17,474,486 kg) of black corals were imported into
\n70 nations from 1982-1997.
\nAlso, here one of the recent cases:<\/p>\n
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
\nENRD<\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2009 GERMAN NATIONAL PLEADS GUILTY TO<\/p>\n SMUGGLING CORAL FROM THE PHILIPPINES<\/p>\n Discovery of shipping containers full of illegal coral in Oregon led to WASHINGTON-Gunther Wenzek, a German national, pleaded guilty today Wenzek owns a company named CoraPet, based in Essen, Germany that sells \u00a0The corals seized have been identified as corals from the scientific The removal of dead coral and live rock is of major concern for coral “This guilty plea is one example of the United States’ coordinated “We will not allow criminals to profit from the illegal devastation of “This activity has an immeasurable negative impact on our shrinking “Our national and the international marine resources are important to The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. ************************************* Coral-list\u00a0 March 2, 2010 This is a post by our friend Dr. James Cervino that is part of an online discussion on the NOAA Coral-list about adding 82 more corals to the U.S. Endangered Species List and the need for stopping the trade in live corals.\u00a0 Mr. Coral Collector- What I will also do is … Continue reading Coral-List: James Cervino reports on Coral Trade Worldwide<\/span>
\n(202) 514-2007
\nWWW.USDOJ.GOV<\/a>
\nTDD (202) 514-1888<\/p>\n
\nindictment<\/p>\n
\nbefore District Judge Anna J. Brown, of the U.S. District Court for the
\nDistrict of Oregon, to one count of smuggling coral into the United
\nStates at the port of Portland, Ore., the Justice Department announced.
\nA grand jury in Portland indicted Wenzek in July 2008.\u00a0 Law enforcement
\nofficials arrested Wenzek in February 2009 when he entered the United
\nStates at Dulles airport outside of Washington, D.C., en route to a pet
\nexposition in Orlando, Fla.\u00a0 Wenzek has been detained under a third
\nparty custodian release agreement since February.\u00a0 Sentencing is
\nscheduled for Jan. 5, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n
\nvarious coral products to retailers in the United States.\u00a0 Customs
\nagents seized two full containers of coral shipped by Wenzek to a
\ncustomer in Portland.\u00a0 These two shipments made up a total of over 40
\ntons of coral.<\/p>\n
\norder Scleractinia, genera Porites, Acropora, and Pocillopora, common to
\nPhilippine reefs.\u00a0 Due to the threat of extinction, stony corals, such
\nas those seized in this case are protected by international law.
\nPhilippine law specifically forbids exports of all coral.\u00a0 Moreover, the
\nConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) bars
\nimportation of the coral Wenzek tried to import to customers in the
\nUnited States, without filling out proper customs forms or permits.<\/p>\n
\nreefs, including those reefs protecting coastal communities from storms.
\nThese corals are the fundamental building blocks of the coral reef
\necosystem.\u00a0 Unsustainable collection of coral frequently results in the
\nloss of important nursery areas, feeding grounds, refuge for fish and
\ninvertebrates, and increased erosion of reef systems.<\/p>\n
\nefforts, including the work of multiple law enforcement agencies, to
\nprotect coral reefs and marine ecosystems both domestically and
\ninternationally,” said John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General
\nfor the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
\n“Preventing the further decline of coral reefs through strong
\nenforcement of our nation’s environmental laws is paramount in
\npreserving marine environments and fisheries.”<\/p>\n
\nthe world’s coral reefs,” said Kent Robinson, Acting United States
\nAttorney for the District of Oregon.<\/p>\n
\nresources in the world,” said Paul Chang, Special Agent in Charge of Law
\nEnforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region,
\nbased in Portland.<\/p>\n
\nall of us and this is a fine example of federal agencies working
\ntogether to protect those resources,” said Special Agent in Charge Vicki
\nNomura, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Law Enforcement.<\/p>\n
\nImmigration and Customs Enforcement, and the National Marine Fisheries
\nService.\u00a0 The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States
\nAttorney, Dwight Holton from the District of Oregon and Senior Trial
\nAttorney J. Ronald Sutcliffe of the Justice Department’s Environmental
\nCrimes Section, with assistance from the Southern District of Florida,
\nAUSA, Tom Watts-FitzGerald.<\/p>\n
\nDr. James M. Cervino
\nVisiting Scientist
\nWoods Hole Oceanographic Institute
\nContact Information:
\nNYC Address: 9-22 119st
\nCollege Point New York, 11356
\nCell: 917-620*5287
\n************************************<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"