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Adam Blundell 
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 Topic: Coral Farming Future
Posted: February 10 2005 at 4:28pm |
Well I have some concerns with coral farming. But without question I am in favor of it and see far more positives than negatives. I'm sure Calfo will touch on this as well.
Anyway if you haven't heard the Drs. (Foster & Smith) have announced their new coral propagation facility in Wisconsin. This could be a really good thing, or just a marketing trick. Only time will tell.
http://www.DrsFosterSmith.com/pressroom/pressroom.cfm?prid=1 9
Adam
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Riley
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 5:42pm |
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What would the negatives be that you see Adam
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Riley Herriman
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Jake Pehrson
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 5:45pm |
This is a good thing for the hobby IMO.
I see no negatives, only positives.
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jfinch
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 6:00pm |
My (maybe uninformed) opinion is that anything that takes money out of the hands of the ornamental fish/coral collector in vanuatu could likely have detrimental effects on the reef. If that collector can no longer make $20 a week collecting (legally within the quota) corals (a sustainable resource) for Walt, he'll likely switch to some more harmful reef practices. It's even more of a problem if you look at it from the point of view of the local government. They need some means of employing their people... maybe that cement factory turning acropora to lime doesn't sound so terrible now.
Maybe tourism and sport diving could fill that gap. But I too think coral farming is the direction the hobby should be going, but the farming should be done in the south pacific by that guy in vanuatu. I just can't see a coral greenhouse in Wisconsin competing with the ocean. And a lot of aqua cultured corals have been showing up in LFSs lately which is a good thing.
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 6:10pm |
Here is a little negative possibility. Please keep in mind I think the positives greatly out number the negatives, but...
Lets say Foster&Smith get a huge shipment of corals in. Then they frag them like mad and make thousands of frags. Then the very next day they put on their site "captive raised frags now available". Well that is true. I mean in two years the coral would be almost completely captive grown. But no way they wait two years. Heck they are promoting now and facility won't even be running for 6 more months. So it would be kind of deceptful to advertise their corals that way. But, overall I still think it is worth it, even if they did that.
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Adam Haycock
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 6:19pm |
Why Wisconsin? That makes no sense to me. Why not have somewhere warm near the ocean. That way its less money for heating and salt water. Or why not just do it in the ocean?
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coreyk
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 6:26pm |
Why Wisconsin? That makes no sense to
me. Why not have somewhere warm near the ocean. That way its less money
for heating and salt water. Or why not just do it in the ocean?
Isn't this how ORA does their coral farm ... and why it was hit pretty hard by the hurricanes.
Dr. Mac is also starting up an operation similar to this. http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/newfacility/
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 6:35pm |
Yes and Dr. Mac is awesome. I talk to him now and then. That is a good facility that should be supported. I hope others follow that path, but fear they won't.
Adam
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Jake Pehrson
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 6:37pm |
Good points.
Jon,
I think there will always be a huge demand for wild collected corals. As the hobby grows we need to find another source for corals (other then the ocean).
Adam,
If they propagate corals as you mention then they would not be captive grown corals. Hopefully this is not what they are going to do.
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jfinch
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Posted: February 10 2005 at 7:39pm |
I've got a question (that I'm sure Jake can answer). If I were to start up an aqua cultured coral farm in Tonga, using... lets say, wild corals (scleractinia) from the nearby reef collected legally under CITES, I then frag the heck out of these corals and set up shop. A year later I harvest some of the daughters and refrag the rest. Do these aqua cultured corals need a CITES permit? I'm guessing they do, which seems wrong to me. They should be exempt, without quota.
Does the greenhouse in Wisconsin need a CITES permit? I doubt it.
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Jake Pehrson
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Posted: February 11 2005 at 1:27am |
 jfinch wrote:
I've got a question (that I'm sure Jake can answer). If I were to start up an aqua cultured coral farm in Tonga, using... lets say, wild corals (scleractinia) from the nearby reef collected legally under CITES, I then frag the heck out of these corals and set up shop. A year later I harvest some of the daughters and refrag the rest. Do these aqua cultured corals need a CITES permit? I'm guessing they do, which seems wrong to me. They should be exempt, without quota.
Does the greenhouse in Wisconsin need a CITES permit? I doubt it.
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Well, I'm not an expert per say, but here is how I understand it.
When I import propagated corals from Fiji, I have to have a CITES permit. It doesn't matter if it was collected in an ocean, grown in an aquarium, etc. If you import a specimen into the country that is on the CITES list you will need a CITES permit.
A greenhouse in wisconsin will not need CITES permits unless they are shipping outside the US.
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