Facts about coral/fish importing

[reef]

Was doing some reading and came across this.

Importers:

• According to CITES, the United States is the largest importer of live coral and reef rock, bringing in more than 80% of the live coral trade (more than 400,000 pieces a year) and more than half of the marine aquarium fish sold worldwide.

• Other major importers of coral products are Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada.

HOW MUCH IS BEING HARVESTED FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE?

• According to the CITES database, in 1996, permitted coral exports produced 2.5 million pieces of live coral, 739 tons (670,000 kg) of raw coral, and 31,000 colonies of black coral.

• About 3,000 tons (2,721,600 kg) of coral enter international trade each year for use in aquariums, according to the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association.

• CITES reported 19,262 tons (17,474,486 kg) of black corals were imported into 70 nations from 1982-1997.

If you look at the stats they dont make for pleasent reading.

Image how much is imported these days as those stats are based around 1996.

No good.

[Fmxmatt]

And imagine the percentage of that which is going to die/has already died due to lack of research and improper equipment on the LFS/End Hobbiest side.

[livingart]

this is a good arguement for stopping the marine keeping hobby

do you have figures for how much coral is produced on the worlds reefs each year, i.e. is it sustainable

[wilson]

even more of a reason to start aquaculturing corals and breeding fish

[reef]

even more of a reason to start aquaculturing corals and breeding fish

To some degree but i doubt Hobbyist will pay for the higher price as it cost money to culture corals. power is getting expensive and if are going to do it you need to make money.

Corals are smaller so hobbyist expect to pay less.

Many corals can also not be cultured

More likly to work overseas due to the larger market but in NZ we just dont have enough hobbyist to make it worth it for any business.

[davidb]

When you think of the damage to coal reefs as a result of the acidification of the seas and rising sea temperatures, I dont think that the aquarium trade has a big impact. Most of the corals in NZ are aquacultured too (Nowadays)

[reef]

Most of the corals in NZ are aquacultured too (Nowadays)

Not really. maybe 20% at best.

[davidb]

Im not talking about corals coming into the country, Im talking about all corals. Most corals in my tank for example, grew from frags from other hobbiests (with the exclusion of a few of my larger LPS corals)

[cookie extreme]

when you see how much damage a single cyclone does then 3.4 million pieces of corals are not really that many at all. and seeing the maldives shortly after El Nino with, i would say 80% plus, dead corals then 3.4 million are just a couple islands worth really. and lets face its a buisness with many people making good money, so it will be a very long time before collection will be banned (if ever).

[tangtastic]

I bet all the tourists running around, standing on the reefs and having their crap end up in the ocean does more damage.

Who many tons get dredge out for road works and construction?