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Thought this was interesting. Pending Congressional legislation regarding the use of U.S. corals reefs.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c109:1:./temp/~c109FUtzOE:e973:

Any comments?

Last edited by sirbooks at 06-Nov-2005 11:31

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Just reminding myself I want to read through this later.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Awwww, Nick, it doesnt work

Please resubmit your search
Search results are only retained for a limited amount of time.Your search results have either been deleted, or the file has been updated with new information.

Probably because it was a temporary link. Hopefully this will work: [link=http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc109/h3469_ih.xml]http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc109/h3469_ih.xml" style="COLOR: #808080[/link]

If this doesn't work either, I'll figure something out.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I’ll make this a bit more reader-friendly. This will help out both lazy people and those who don’t understand the language. For the latter group, I shall compensate by typing the below section very slowly.

Here is a summarization of the proposal (Note- I included information which I thought most relevant and helpful, if you don’t like what I typed or think something is missing, refer to the link above):

Title- Coral Reef Conservation and Protection Act of 2005

Finding/Purpose- Coral reefs and related ecosystems are hugely diverse.
Corals reefs are greatly valuable to human beings in a number of ways.
Coral reefs are being destroyed and threatened by human activity in various parts of the globe and in various ways.
“International trade” in coral and other invertebrates, reef rock, and fish aid the decline of the reefs. This points to the aquarium industry, and also to the curio and souvenir trades.
Removing live rock and live coral from the reef can be harmful.

“More than half of the fish imported into the United States for the marine aquarium market are estimated to be captured with the use of cyanide and other poisons which kill other coral reef species and the corals that form the reef framework, and these destructive fishing practices are becoming increasingly common in other countries to meet the growing worldwide demand for ornamental fish and live food fish.”

Me- I have a problem with this claim, as I believe the numbers to be inflated or otherwise incorrect.

The U.S. needs to take part in helping to stop the destruction of reefs, to restore reefs, and to aid other nations in doing so.
“PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to provide a series of nondiscriminatory measures which are necessary for the conservation of coral reef species and further the obligations of the United States under CITES.”

Prohibitions- This law would make it illegal to:
Remove a “covered coral reef species” from U.S. waters.
Import or export to/from the U.S. any covered species.
Own, sell, buy, or transport any covered species.
Attempt to commit any of the above acts.

“Covered species”-
1. “Any species of coral or ornamental fish.”
2. Any species in Appendix II of CITES.
3. Any species of which removal from the reef has been found by the Secretary of the Interior to have a detrimental effect on the reef ecosystem.
4. A covered species may be removed from the list if it has been determined that removal will not affect the reef.

Exceptions- Covered species may be removed if:
1. They were taken “in accordance with a scientifically-based management plan.” This plan would have to take many factors into account on the conservation of the species and not cause destruction to the reef habitat.
2. The species is a product of a qualified breeding program.
3. The species is a product of an aquaculture or mariculture program.
4. The species is taken for scientific or museum purposes, or for “zoological breeding or display.”
5. The species was taken for consumption which is a tradition, customary, or required for subsistence.

No covered species may be lawfully removed with destructive removal practices.

The Secretary of State may consult with a foreign government on the topics of supporting reef conservation and protection, and on the ending of harmful reef collection practices.

If this Act is passed, the Secretaries of Commerce and of the Interior must develop guidelines for the enactment of this bill and that discussed within.

Persons responsible for violation of this Act may be fined an amount which would vary depending on the case, but which would not exceed $25,000 for each offense. They may also be imprisoned for up to six months, unless they violate the Act for business purposes or lie about their violation, in which case they may be jailed for up to two years.

Any authorized person or body may “search and seize any coral reef species taken, imported, exported, possessed, sold, delivered, carried, transported, or received in violation of section 3, with or without a warrant, as authorized by law.”
All species taken, possessed, sold, etc. in violation of this Act will be subject to forfeiture to the U.S., as well as all equipment used in aiding violation of the Act.

Definitions as pertaining to this Act:

“The term “coral” means any living or dead specimens, parts or derivatives, or any product containing specimens, parts or derivatives of any species of the phylum Cnidaria, including—

(A) all species of black corals (Antipatharia), stony corals (Scleractinia), soft corals (Alcyonacea), horny corals (Gorgonacea), organ pipe corals (Stolonifera), blue corals (Coenothecalia), anemones (Actiniaria), coralliomorphs (Coralliomorpharia), and zooanthids (Zoanthidea) of the class Anthozoa; and

(B) all species of the fire corals (Milleporina) (Me- should be Millepora, I believe) and lace corals (Stylasterina) of the class Hydrozoa.

The term “coral reef” means any reef, shoal, or other natural feature composed in part of the solid skeletal structures in which corals are major framework constituents.
The term “coral reef ecosystem” means the interacting complex of species (including reef plants of the phyla Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta, and Rhodophyta) and nonliving variables associated with coral reefs and their habitats which function as an ecological unit in nature and which are mutually dependent on this function to survive.

The term “coral reef species” means—
any species of plant or animal, including algae, seagrasses, invertebrates and vertebrates that live in, on, or near coral reefs and are directly dependent on the coral reef ecosystem for feeding, reproduction or growth, but does not include mammals, reptiles, or birds; and
products derived from coral, such as live rock, coral substrate, and coral rock.

The term “live rock” means any hard substrate derived from coral which is grown in the wild and which is attached to and supporting any species covered under paragraph (4)(A), and includes coral rock and coral substrate.

The term “ornamental reef fish” means any finfish collected commercially for the aquarium and curio trade, but does not include any fish taken for human consumption."


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Again, any comments? I know some of you folks love to discuss politics and legislation, and this is a chance to comment on a proposal that may affect our hobby if passed. Similar bills have been proposed and rejected in the past, but attitudes regarding this subject can change very quickly.

Also, please don’t go off-topic with unrelated stuff.


Last edited by sirbooks at 08-Nov-2005 10:12

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."