We encourage you to read more about the Coral Restoration Foundation.  Last year, eight aquarium companies (names you know!) donated a combined $40,000 to CRF.  And now CRF is getting another big helping hand from the pet industry:

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World Pet Association Funds Coral Reef Restoration in Key Largo by the Coral Restoration Foundation

News Release
January 4, 2013
CONTACT:
World Pet Association
Phone: 626.447.2222
Email: [email protected]

Monrovia, CA — World Pet Association has become the first corporate “Patch Reef” level sponsor, donating $25,000 to the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF). The funding will be used to cover costs to grow “threatened” staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and outplant nursery-raised colonies to a reef offshore Key Largo named “White Bank”. This reef is one of the most popular snorkeling sites in Key Largo with tens of thousands of snorkelers swimming over the shallow area every year.

“It is our hope that our support will be very conspicuous to those who visit White Bank, while making a lasting impact on the fish and invertebrate life there,” said Doug Poindexter, President of World Pet Association.

The Coral Restoration Foundation’s mission is to restore corals throughout the Florida Keys, Caribbean and beyond. The CRF has a strong connection to the aquarium trade as Ken Nedimyer, founder and president, was a marine life collector and wholesaler for over thirty years before turning to offshore coral aquaculture for restoration purposes. Some of the coral propagation techniques presently used by CRF also originated in the reef aquarium hobby.

The World Pet Association (WPA) is the oldest industry organization promoting responsibly growth and development of the companion pet and related products and services. WPA works to inform and educate the general public in order to ensure safe and healthy lifestyles for our animal friends. WPA is the host of America’s Family Pet Expo, the world’s largest consumer pet and pet products expo, held annually in Costa Mesa, California. The organization also produces SuperZoo, an annual pet industry trade show that showcases a comprehensive collection of exhibits and offers a variety of informative educational seminars. SuperZoo 2013 will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada July 23-25. www.worldpetassociation.org

The Coral Restoration Foundation Inc. (CRF) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit conservation organization. The mission of CRF is to develop affordable, effective strategies for protecting and restoring coral reefs and to train and empower others to implement those strategies in their coastal communities, restoring and preserving these aquatic treasures for future generations. For more information or to help support CRF please visit www.coralrestoration.org