CITES Failure to Protect Jewelry Corals Leads
to New Call for Aquarium Trade Reforms
When the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in March failed to pass protections for deepwater red and pink corals heavily collected for the jewelry trade, a group of scientists began formulating a call to use American regulations, laws, and the US Fire and Wildlife Service to act as an enforcer for reforming the trade in marine lifestock. Their proposals appear in a new call-to-action paper that focuses primarily on the marine aquarium trade and ways to use US trade rules and import controls to correct perceived problems in livestock collection.
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"As the world's largest importer of marine ornamental species for the aquaria, curio, home decor, and jewelry industries, the United States has an opportunity to leverage its considerable market power to promote more sustainable trade and reduce the effects of ornamental trade stress on coral reefs worldwide," says Brian Tissot of Washington State University and 17 other authors of a paper to be published in the journal Marine Policy.
The authors, among them Eric Borneman, Andrew Bruckner, and Andy Rhyne, who are familiar to many in the aquarium world, advocate that the US use laws, regulations, and import controls to stop the sale of overcollected species (the Banggai Cardinalfish is one example), to encourage "sustainable and humane" collection, transport and sale, as well as to license importers, wholesalers, and retailers.
"Evidence indicates that collection of some coral reef animals for these trades has caused virtual elimination of local populations, major changes in age structure, and promotion of collection practices that destroy reef habitats.
"Management and enforcement of collection activities in major source countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines remain weak. Strengthening US trade laws and enforcement capabilities combined with increasing consumer and industry demand for responsible conservation can create strong incentives for improving management in source countries." Read more . . .
to New Call for Aquarium Trade Reforms
When the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in March failed to pass protections for deepwater red and pink corals heavily collected for the jewelry trade, a group of scientists began formulating a call to use American regulations, laws, and the US Fire and Wildlife Service to act as an enforcer for reforming the trade in marine lifestock. Their proposals appear in a new call-to-action paper that focuses primarily on the marine aquarium trade and ways to use US trade rules and import controls to correct perceived problems in livestock collection.
[Marine-Policy-120.jpg]
"As the world's largest importer of marine ornamental species for the aquaria, curio, home decor, and jewelry industries, the United States has an opportunity to leverage its considerable market power to promote more sustainable trade and reduce the effects of ornamental trade stress on coral reefs worldwide," says Brian Tissot of Washington State University and 17 other authors of a paper to be published in the journal Marine Policy.
The authors, among them Eric Borneman, Andrew Bruckner, and Andy Rhyne, who are familiar to many in the aquarium world, advocate that the US use laws, regulations, and import controls to stop the sale of overcollected species (the Banggai Cardinalfish is one example), to encourage "sustainable and humane" collection, transport and sale, as well as to license importers, wholesalers, and retailers.
"Evidence indicates that collection of some coral reef animals for these trades has caused virtual elimination of local populations, major changes in age structure, and promotion of collection practices that destroy reef habitats.
"Management and enforcement of collection activities in major source countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines remain weak. Strengthening US trade laws and enforcement capabilities combined with increasing consumer and industry demand for responsible conservation can create strong incentives for improving management in source countries." Read more . . .