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melev

A must read for all hobbyists

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by
melev
, 12-11-2012 at 03:23 PM (2837 Views)
It isn't often that I see an article that I want to repost as much as this one. When I was a little boy, my dad had his aquariums. It was about fish, anemones, octopus, but not live corals. In 1998 when I decided to enjoy this hobby, my resource was the local fish store. I bought some 'live' rock and some clownfish, as well as a number of inverts. In 2002, I went to my first MACNA and really learned about keeping corals alive, and the rest is history.

As hobbyists, we may have a narrow perspective on where livestock comes from, how much may be left in nature, and how we as consumers have little input on the bigger picture. In all honesty, when you see a pretty coral or fish, do you dwell on where it came from, who collected it, and how it will fare? Or do you wonder what it costs, and will it fit into your tank and get along with the other animals? The word sustainability is used a lot, and yet do we actively shop for items only sustainably harvested or tank-raised? Does it matter to you? Ten years ago, I bought my share of wild-caught corals but they usually didn't last long for a number of reasons. Corals that were aqua-cultured were smaller, cost more, and often did much better. Pushing aside the notion that instant gratification will make your immediate happiness swell, more hobbyists seem content to purchase coral frags. Maybe the frags are affordable, compared to purchasing a colony.

Click image for larger version Name: acropora.jpg Views: 950 Size: 41.3 KB ID: 7890
(Top) Total number of individual corals imported into the United States. (Bottom) Acropora sp. imported into the United States. White bars are from wild harvests,while black bars indicate those corals from captive culture (CITES source codes F, R, C).

A number of articles and campaigns have tried to strike fear in the minds of the masses that the coral / fish trade is evil, that it will decimate what is left of our oceans, and that it must be stopped in its tracks because the future will otherwise be devoid of marine life. Again, as individual hobbyists that can't dictate collection practices nor control what their local stores purchase and offer, they may be feel helpless, or that their actions don't make a difference. Based on recent information published, our history has been tracked for the past 21 years, showing not only what species have been collected, but how our purchases have trended. The sharing of coral frags has made a big difference in the past five years. The numbers are actually down, rather than the implied escalation we so often are accused of. Take about 10 minutes to digest this article, and keep up the good work with your purchasing power. Proactively think about where your livestock comes from, and continue to seek out mari-cultured and aqua-cultured corals as well as tank-raised / farm-raised clams and fish. Here's the link:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog...ility-benefits

And another link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1211094916.htm

And another write up about why this is a step in the right direction:

http://www.omglobe.com/2012/12/11/wi...s-trade-study/

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Updated 12-11-2012 at 06:06 PM by melev

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Comments

  1. cyano's Avatar
    I have always wondered if since tank raised corals are more hardy could we actually transplant them back into the ocean with them being more capable of handling the changing climate? and potentially more hardy against human contaminates? or is it all going to die and we are in turn keeping the futures past alive in our homes?
  2. gramalkin's Avatar
    I think one of the biggest concerns about transplanting captive corals from our aquariums back into the ocean is the same issue we typically are concerned with when putting something from the ocean into our aquariums; what else are we bringing with the coral? Are we bringing critters not native to the area, or even some disease from another part of the world that that area has never seen?
  3. melev's Avatar
    There is always that potential issue, but at this stage we are doing much better at propagating corals to share amongst ourselves and not taking from the oceans. Later, we may be rebuilding reefs like the Coral Reef Restoration Project in Florida. Another quarantine method could be employed prior to exporting them to the wild.
  4. cyano's Avatar
    I can understand the concern with that Gram but if it comes down to no corals in our oceans and potentially introducing an invasive species then we have one tough decision on our hands. I do think though that the benefit of an aquarium propagation to transplant allows us to monitor the corals to see whether they are clean before a potential transplant.

    melev I love that corals are not all being pulled from the oceans and one reefers success is another reefers beginning and the propagation and continued hardiness of corals to the reef aquarium hobby can do nothing but help the continued survival of corals in nature.
  5. gerbilbox's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by cyano
    I have always wondered if since tank raised corals are more hardy could we actually transplant them back into the ocean with them being more capable of handling the changing climate? and potentially more hardy against human contaminates? or is it all going to die and we are in turn keeping the futures past alive in our homes?
    My concern is the opposite if we were to seriously consider transplantation back into the wild. By "natural" selection of whatever survives in our tanks, we've selected for traits in corals that are adapted to thrive in our aquariums, but make them maladapted to ocean conditions and a changing climate. We have a near constant 78-80°F temperatures year-round, running skimmers, carbon, GFO, LEDs, with the lack of human waste products, tides, predators and possibly diseases...we're on the path towards domesticating our corals like what happened to dogs and cats. Variation is the fuel for evolution, and we've diminished that variation to the relative handful of coral lines that look fantastic in our tanks. Then theres's the issue that Gram has brought up.

    Restoration projects I've read about try to raise wild-captured coral larvae for transplantation. There also is a project (I can't recall the name) to cryogenically preserve wild corals, the key element is that they're sampling a wide diversity of corals, increasing the odds of capturing the genetic variation that may be needed to survive future climate.