CORAL received this letter from attorney Murray Camp in Dallas regarding the proposed listing of stony corals on the Endangered Species List.  

Re:  Proposed Listing Determinations for 82 Reef-Building Coral Species; Docket No.

0911231415-2625-02; 77 Fed. Reg.  73219

Dear Madam or Sir:

This letter is submitted on behalf of the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America

(“MASNA”) in opposition to the above-referenced listing action.

MASNA is a duly-formed and existing 501(c)(3) organization composed of marine aquarium societies and individual marine aquarium hobbyists from North America and abroad, totaling several thousand individuals.  MASNA’s mission is to:   (1) educate our members with online and published material, the MACNA® conference (the longest-running marine aquarium educational  event  in  the  country),  and  other  sanctioned  events,  (2)  assist in  forming  and promoting the growth of clubs within the hobby while ensuring a sustainable future for the marine environment; (3) support the efforts to eliminate abuses in collecting and transporting marine  organisms  through  education,  assistance  and  encouragement,  and  (4)  encourage the ethical growth of the marine aquarium hobby and support captive breeding/propagation efforts. MORE:  Open Letter ro CORLA Readers from MASNA