How U.S. Ocean Policy and Market Power Can Reform the Coral Reef Wildlife Trade

As the world’s largest importer of marine ornamental species for the aquaria, curio, home décor, and jewelry industries, the United States has an opportunity to leverage its considerable market power to promote more sustainable trade and reduce the effects of ornamental trade stress on coral reefs worldwide. Evidence indicates that collection of some coral reef animals for these trades has caused virtual elimination of local populations, major changes in age structure, and promotion of collection practices that destroy reef habitats. Management and enforcement of collection activities in major source countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines remain weak. Strengthening US trade laws and enforcement capabilities combined with increasing consumer and industry demand for responsible conservation can create strong incentives for improving management in source countries. This is particularly important in light of the March 2010 failure of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to take action on key groups of corals

Turning Up the Heat: How Global Warming Threatens Life in the Sea

This new report argues that rising temperatures have impacted the world's oceans to a far greater extent than previously acknowledged. Addressing topics such as sea-level rise, ocean circulation, coral reefs, sea birds and invertebrates, as well as the increasing threats to Salmon, the report predicts a dangerous chain reaction in marine ecosystems if global warming continues unabated. On the positive side, it also argues that decisive actions now to reduce pollution can slow the warming and preserve the world's oceans

Certification as a Conservation Tool in the Marine Aquarium Trade: Challenges to Effectiveness

Certification of products as environmentally-preferable is a conservation tool developed to create market incentives for products to be produced in an environmentally responsible manner. It has been part of the conservation toolbox for commercial fisheries, forestry, and other sectors, including the marine aquarium trade, for more than a decade. In the marine aquarium trade, live fish, coral, and invertebrates are collected from coral reefs throughout the world, and sold to marine aquaria hobbyists in developed countries. Much of this is collected illegally, with the use of cyanide to stun fish, making them easier to collect. Cyanide increases the stress and mortality on fish, can kill non-targeted species on the reef, and encourages destruction of the reef as collectors pry stunned fish out of crevices. Lax management in major source countries allows for overfishing to occur as well. Most of the world’s marine ornamentals are collected in the Philippines and Indonesia, and sold in the United States and Europe, two regions in which ecolabels for certified products have had significant traction. But the marine aquarium trade presents substantial challenges to effective certification. This report explores these challenges and considers the extent to which they can be overcome. It does not evaluate the existing certification program (the Marine Aquarium Council) specifically. Rather, this report looks at the marine aquarium trade as a whole, examines whether the essential conditions are in place for meaningful certification to succeed, and outlines efforts that might need to be taken to achieve success. It examines three key components of effective certification in the context of the marine aquarium industry in Indonesia and the Philippines: (1) Satisfying the environmental claim (2) Verifying the chain of custody (3) Responding to economic incentive

A Survey of Metals in Tissues of Farm-raised and Wild Salmon

This issue was undated. The date given is an estimate.15 pages, 1 article*A Survey of Metals in Tissues of Farm-raised and Wild Salmon* (Foran, Jeffery A.; Hites, Ronald A.; Carpenter, David O.; Hamilton, M. Coreen; Mathews-Amos, Amy; Schwager, Steven J.) 15 page