The Coral Trade

Coral Trade

Although coral reefs account for only a small fraction of the global marine environment, they are home to more than a quarter of the world's ocean fish and are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth.

Coral reefs support a lucrative tourism industry, protect coastal areas from storms, and contribute to the economies of many developing nations around the world. Each year reefs provide humans with resources and services worth billions of dollars.

According to a 1998 World Resources Institute Study, human activities have put some 58 percent of the world's coral reefs at risk. Many have been damaged beyond recovery.

Manmade threats to reefs include exploitation of resources, destructive fishing practices, coastal development, and runoff from inland deforestation and farming.

International trade in corals, live rock (dead coral or substrate covered with live invertebrates), and reef fish contribute to the decline and degradation of reefs. Global markets for reef resources include the aquarium, curio, and jewelry trades; the seafood and live food fish industry; and pharmaceutical and research companies.

Concern about the potentially damaging effect of trade on the survival of reef ecosystems prompted the member nations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to list all stony or reef-building corals under the treaty's Appendix II in 1985. CITES is a global agreement through which the United States and 146 other countries regulate international trade in animals and plants listed for protection.

Commercial trade of CITES Appendix II species requires an export permit from the country of origin or a re-export certificate from any intermediary country. Issuance of such permits reflects the country of origin's judgment that trade will not jeopardize the continued survival of species in the wild.

Growing demand for reef "products," particularly living reef resources, makes commercial exploitation of coral reefs a continuing concern. Although U.S. imports of dead coral (material used largely for jewelry and curios) have leveled off since 1993, commerce in live coral and live rock destined for marine aquaria has increased dramatically. This segment of the international coral trade has grown at a rate of 12 to 30 percent per year since 1990.

The United States is the world's largest consumer of live coral and live rock. Of the world's 1.5 million aquarium hobbyists, 1 million live in the United States. Americans buy some 80 percent of the live coral taken from reefs (more than 400,000 pieces a year); more than 90 percent of all live rock in trade; and more than half of the marine aquarium fish sold worldwide.

Since the United States either prohibits or strictly limits the harvest of reef- building corals and live rock in most federal, state, and territorial waters, imports almost exclusively supply the domestic market for these reef resources.

Despite improved aquarium technology and handling practices, an estimated 90 percent of some of the most popular coral species collected from reefs die before or soon after they reach the aquarium owner.

Collection of corals for the aquarium and jewelry industries typically targets a small number of rare, slow-growing, long-lived species. Overharvest of these and other coral species can cause localized destruction of reefs, increased erosion, and loss of fish habitat. Large-scale removal of live rock destroys habitat for fish, marine invertebrates, and benthic organisms, and undermines the structure of reefs.

The practice of using cyanide to stun fish collected for the aquarium trade persists, even though most countries have banned this environmentally destructive fishing technique. Harvest targets herbivores that keep algae populations from overgrowing and killing corals. Fish that are the rarest and hardest to find fetch the highest prices, increasing incentives for harvest and threats to species survival.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service upholds the Nation's CITES obligations, enforces U.S. wildlife conservation laws, and monitors U.S. coral trade through its wildlife inspection program.

Companies that import coral, live rock, and live marine fish into the United States must secure a wildlife import/export license from the Service; bring their goods through specific ports designated to handle wildlife trade; declare their shipments to the Service; and make them available to Service wildlife inspectors for physical examination. Corals and other marine species protected under the CITES treaty must be accompanied by the appropriate permits from the exporting country.

Consumers who buy corals, live rock, and marine fish are encouraged to ask stores for information abut where these products came from and how they were collected. Hobbyists can avoid buying fish or coral that die quickly by finding out more about the difficulty of keeping particular species. They can also consider buying synthetic corals or captive-reared specimens from facilities using environmentally sustainable aquaculture techniques.

Corals and seashell items are often sold in gift and curio shops in the United States and overseas. Consumers in this country should make sure these products are legal before buying them, and Americans who travel abroad should check U.S. laws and the laws of the country they're visiting before bringing corals and seashells home as souvenirs.

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