The Coalition Of Reef Lovers (CORL)

Mike King, Sunday, October 6th, 2002, on #reefs

Mike currently possesses a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.S. in Environmental Health. He also received minors in Chemistry, Biology, and is two classes short of a B.S. in Geology. Mike has owned two retail stores- Enclosed Ecosystems from 1982-1988, and The Coral Reef Tropical Fish (The Coral Reef or TCR) from 1994-2002. He started the Coalition of Reef Lovers (CORL) in 1999. C.O.R.L. (501-c3 pending) was formed to give anyone who cares about the world's coral reefs a way to directly and indirectly contribute to the protection and sustainable use of the world's coral reefs. Please refer to his website for additional information: http://www.corl.org/

The Coalition Of Reef Lovers (CORL)

The Coalition Of Reef Lover's (CORL) (501-c-3 pending) was formed in 1999 to give those who care about the world's coral reefs a way to directly and indirectly contribute to the protection and sustainable use of the world's coral reefs. CORL understands that because of the current rapid degradation and loss of the world's coral reefs, immediate action is necessary. Some predictions have up to 90% of the world's coral reefs destroyed with in the next 30 to 40 years. Global Warming is the greatest threat facing the coral reefs future; it alone could cause the extinction of thousands of coral reef species. Pollution, deforestation, over harvesting, improper subsistence fishing, coral stone harvesting for construction of buildings and roads, and careless recreation are just a few problems effecting the coral reefs.

A large percentage of the countries whose borders contain coral reefs are underdeveloped, and many of their problems can be linked to poor environmental education and planning. Any use of the coral reef resources within their boundaries should not only be sustainable, but also be beneficial to the preservation of the coral reefs. The coral reefs of many Small Island Nations are their one and only exportable natural resource. Some of these nations still depend upon their coastal areas and reefs to supply them with up to 90% of their dietary protein.

Sustainable use and a sustainable rate of development will be two of mankind's greatest problems to overcome in the next century. In the poorer nations a sustainable rate of growth will be a difficult goal to reach with their limited resources. Their resource usage must be sustainable with broad benefits so development can be progressive, with minimal environmental impact.
The Marine Ornamental Industry provides many small island and developing nations with an outlet for the use of their coral reef resources giving more value to the coral reefs and providing another renewable resource when properly conducted. These measures can help insure their long-term protection. CORL helps villages and communities setup and develop sustainable resource usage. While providing them with an outlet to sell products to the MOI concurrently with restoring their reefs and recovering lost habitats.

CORL's Projects

The C.O.R.L. Database Series
September 17, 2002

PURPOSE

To aid everyone in the marine ornamental industry (MOI), from the initial collectors of fish and corals to the client who purchases their aquarium inhabitants from his local fish store, CORL has developed a series of databases which when used together will offer up data that can generate tracking information, a wide variety of statistics , and educational instruction on the path to success for the aquarium hobbyist.

DATABASES

At present there are a total of three (3) databases in use. They are listed below, along with the fourth potential database which will be implemented when CORL production begins.

The OMSDS

The Ornamental Marine Species Data Sheet (OMSDS) is the first and primary database used by all CORL affiliates. This database lists on a species by species basis each marine fish, invertebrate, and coral that are available to the marine aquarium hobbyist. Detailed information is offered for each species including identification data, natural habitat, diet, and photographs (when available). For the aquarium hobbyist, a rating system has been developed which indicates each species' suitability for the aquarium setting, suvivability in aquariums, and the experience needed by the hobbyist himself. Completing each data sheet is information directed toward the collector, indicating special procedures, what to keep an eye out for, and what to stay away from. Overall, the OMSDS will be a comprehensive information resource on each species of marine ornamental.

The Aquarium Registry

The Aquarium Registry is the second database that CORL affiliates will use. This database is almost entirely completed by the aquarium hobbyist with very little maintenance on the part of CORL administration. As its name implies, the database is for the registry of each aquarium owned by each CORL affiliate. Tank parameters, equipment used, water filtration, etc., are all detailed so that statistics can be generated, as well as helpful instruction in the way of proper aquarium operation and maintenance. When a question or problem arises for the aquarium hobbyist, it will be very simple for the local CORL affiliated fish store to look up the data from the specific tank involved and make better-suited recommendations based on the parameters of that individual's tank.

The Aquarium Registry is also connected by database relationships to the OMSDS and the Client Fish databases so that information from each database can be displayed where necessary.

The Client Fish Database

The Client Fish Database is the third and most basic of the CORL database series. Its primary purpose is for the addition of marine ornamentals to the aquarium hobbyist's Aquarium Registry record. When a new marine ornamental is added to the hobbyist's tank, the species can be added to that hobbyist's registry, along with the specific parameters of the item being added (quantity, size, date entered, etc.). Once again, this will allow a much more informed diagnosis on the part of CORL affiliate store when problems or questions arise.

The CORL Tracker

The CORL Tracker is the fourth database, and has yet to be completed. This database will be the primary source of statistical data for CORL as the propagation and establishment of aqua-cultured marine ornamentals becomes a reality. At the coral farm level, collectors can add their daily catches to the database, assigning a catch number to the fish, invertebrate, or coral that will be shipped to a distribution center for the marine aquarium hobbyist. The distributor/wholesaler can then track the individual ornamental from that catch, knowing precisely where the catch came from, and when it was pulled from the ocean. The hobbyist who eventually purchases the item will have the unprecedented opportunity of being able to track their new aquarium addition all the way back to the actual coral farm from which it was harvested.

Through the use of these four databases, an unprecedented amount of information will be gathered and processed for each fish, invertebrate, or coral that enters the marine aquarium hobby. CORL will be able to run analytical research on farm productivity, successful transportation and storage, and overall longevity of each species, producing a much healthier and more reliable process for moving marine ornamentals into the home aquarium.

POLICY

It is a policy of CORL that all information offered to the general public, as well as its CORL affiliates will meet the most exacting standards. It is only through the application of correct information and procedures that we can begin to educate people in the proper collection, maintenance, and propagation of marine ornamentals. Routine data checks and updates will be performed on all databases, as well as frequent spot checks on listings in the Aquarium Registry. Also, through the use of the CORL website, users will have available to them a detailed outline of the procedures (listed below) for the successful use of the available databases.

This tracking program will be designed to work with the MAC tracking system.

PROCEDURES

1. The Collector

The Collector is defined as the individual or coral farm that harvests the marine ornamental for the MOI.

A. On a species by species basis, the collector will add their harvest to the CORL Tracker database, including general size, quantity of species, etc.

B. A unique tracking number will be automatically assigned in the CORL Tracker database to each species batch, and this number will permanently be attached to each individual of that species batch.

(eg. A collector harvests fifty (50) Maricultured Corals in a week. At the end of that week, before shipment to the distributer/wholesaler, each Corl from this harvest is assigned a number --091702-0007-0001. The first number (091702) will indicate the date on which the harvest was made. The second number (0007) will indicate the species OMSDS number. The third number (0001) will indicate the coral farm from which the specimen came. This number will stay with each of the fifty Corals until they reach their final homes in hobbyist aquariums.)

2. The Distributor / Wholesaler

A. When the harvest shipments from coral farms/harvesting individuals are received by the distributor/wholesaler, additional information will be added to the CORL Tracker database record in regards to the quality of the marine ornamentals, overall health, whether fatalities were experienced in shipping, etc. This will ensure that harvesting individuals or coral farms are held responsible for only the best harvesting methods and packaging/shipping methods.

B. An additional number set may be added to the tracking number of the received items.

(eg. The fifty Corals arrive at the distributor/wholesaler (#091702-0007-0001), and the distributor/wholesaler's CORL ID number (538) is added to the tracking number: #091702-0007-0001-538.

3. The Pet Store

A. Since all of this data will be available to the CORL affiliated pet store owner, it will be very easy to see what is available at any given time for ordering.

B. The store owner will go through their normal ordering procedures with their distributor/wholesaler, but with the added benefit of using the CORL Tracker number to reference exactly which species/harvest they would like to order.

C. Once the order has been made and received, the CORL affiliated store owner has the potential of adding their own tracking number tag to the pre-existing number.

(eg. Five of the original fifty Corals are shipped to "Todd's Fish Shop (CORL ID #0451). Upon receipt of the order, Todd adds his store's ID number to the tracking number and tag: #091702-0007-0001-538-451.

4. The Aquarium Hobbyist

A. Assuming that the hobbyist has already registered his/her aquariums with CORL, he/she can purchase a marine ornamental from their local CORL affiliated pet store, and upon the introduction of that specimen to their tank, they can log the final set of numbers (the Tank ID, from the Aquarium Registry) to the CORL tracking number in the database. (eg. Rich purchases a Coral from Todd's Fish Shop. The coral came with a numbered tag attached to the bag. Rich adds his tank ID number (6134) to the end of the tracking number and enters this data in the CORL Tracker database: #091702-0007-0001-538-451-6134.

RESULTS

With the proper use of the CORL databases, the following items will become a reality:

1. More complete and accurate information will be known than every before about every marine ornamental specimen that enters the MOI.

2. The health and longevity of every individual marine ornamental will be able to be tracked and monitored for the life of the specimen.

3. If high fatality rates are experienced at any point in the process (from collection to placement in the hobbyist tank), an investigation of each of the CORL affiliates through which the specimens were transferred can take place, and the resulting findings can aid in creating a solution.

4. In the case of corals, the propagation and "family history" of every coral fragment in the CORL Tracker database can easily be found and researched.

5. Healthier fish, invertebrates, and corals will make successful transitions from their ocean homes to the hobbyist aquariums, and will live longer, safer lives.

6. Those fish, invertebrates, and corals which have no place in the marine aquarium industry due to adult size, eating habits, habitat requirements, etc., will be left to thrive in their natural habitat on the reef.

Promoting and Creating Coral Farms for Coral Reef Restoration

Using the Marine Ornamental Industry to Help Save the Coral Reefs

The world's coral reefs are being destroyed at such a rate that immediate action is needed to save this invaluable resource. While reef restoration is still in its infancy great progress has been made in the propagation of many coral species. Replanting primary settlement and other species has greatly reduced the amount of time needed for the biological coral reef structure to reestablish itself. The main problem with reef restoration to date has been the high cost of the restoration process. We propose introducing a low-tech and more cost-effective method of coral reef restoration that can be used by communities and governments in a way that will not only provide a source of income, but also teach conservation. The program aims to set up a supportive infrastructure of educational centers that will be funded in the future by the sale of maricultured products to the marine ornamental industry worldwide. These national and regional centers can be a part of existing programs like Sea Grant or as a not-for-profit organization such as CORL. This proposed program that CORL is developing seeks to educate the stakeholders and other parties in regards to coastal resource management and how to protect their local resources while engaging in sustainable fisheries practices. These centers will provide the needed educational tools and teach the necessary methodology for objectives ranging from site assessment to the long term monitoring of both the restored habitat and the existing coral reef systems. The national and regional centers will also be research centers for the development of new mariculture practices that can be passed on to the communities to improve sustainability. The information gathered will be processed and recorded in order to help the local communities make better decisions about their resources and used as a gauge of their success or failure in their local environmental clean-up efforts. Information gathered locally will also provide the field of reef restoration and management with data for use in case studies for the testing of new methods and techniques. The ultimate goals of the program are to create self-sustaining, long term projects aimed at restoring near shore fisheries and to promote both Marine Protected Areas (MPA's) and sustainable use of each individual community's resources. While the main focus is upon the coastal areas and the surrounding watersheds, there will be additional emphasis on the larger global, national, and regional issues and their effects by means of local environmental awareness and the use of non-polluting renewable energy sources. This program will work with the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) in an attempt to expand upon their certification standards. Groups such as Reef Check, Reef Ball Org., The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and others, as well as the host country's government will also be consulted and informed of advancements in order to help develop and tailor the educational programs as needed at the local level. Information and results gathered will be freely shared with the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), National Coral Reef Initiative (NCRI), Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), and concerned governmental agencies. Results will be also be disseminated at the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS), Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), Marine Ornamentals Conference (MO), Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA), and in scientific journals and other professional publications.

What Is Destroying the World's Coral Reefs, and How this Program Will Address the Problem

Global Warming

Global warming is one of the greatest threats to the world's coral reefs. With the current rate of damage and loss to the world's coral reefs and the greater threat that global warming poses, it's important that something be done quickly to save this great resource. The latest assessment from the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Networks (GCRMN), estimates that up to 27% of the world's coral reefs have been lost to date. The single largest cause or coral reef loss was the massive climate related bleaching event that occurred in 1998. The GCRMN states that about 16% of the world's coral reefs were lost in that nine-month period alone. While there are signs that many of the 16% of damaged reefs will recover slowly, probably half of these reefs will not adequately recover within the next 50 years. (GCRMN 02) With continued global warming there will be an increase in El Nino events which will create more frequent storms that are expected to be stronger and more damaging to the coral reefs and the nations where they are located.

Increased frequency of warming events, higher surface sea temperatures (SSTs), and increased storms (and severity) all stack the odds against the chance of natural coral reef recovery from the damage these consecutive events will cause.

While Global warming is an international issue and will take international action to address, the communities involved may feel that there is very little they can do. This program does address the global warming problem at the community level by supplying clean renewable energy technology and environmental education.

The designed artificial reefs created in the program using reef balls will help create breakwaters at the same time as providing 2nd generation donor colonies for natural reef restoration. Reef Balls and their molds will also be available from the centers for creating breakwaters for area villages. In some areas where water quality is still high enough these breakwaters can be seeded with corals and in time they could become functional, biologically active reefs as well. Artificial breakwaters and designed reefs can help minimize the damage caused by storms; this will become very important in regards to increased sea levels and stronger and more frequent storms that are a forecast as a result of global warming.

Addressing Direct Anthropogenic Stresses on Coral Reefs

Destructive Fishing Practices

Destructive fishing practices (DFP's) are those methods used that result in direct damage to either the fished habitat or the primary habitat-structuring organisms within that ecosystem (the reef building stony corals). (Erdmann, et al.)

In the developing and Small Island Nations, coral reefs provide 25% or more of the total fish catch, providing food to an estimated one billion people in Asia alone. Globally, half a billion people are estimated to live within 100 kilometers of a coral reef and benefit from its productivity and protection. (Moore and Best) There are many destructive fishing practices (DFP's) used today, some are just as destructive to the fishermen as the coral reef resource. The Muro-ami fishing method, now banned in the Philippines, is said to have claimed the lives of hundreds of Filipino children who drove the fish by pounding weights against the reef, driving the fish into the massive nets. These children risked and lost their lives for pennies a day in an effort to put food on their family's tables.

Cyanide and blast fishing still claim many lives every year and the effects of these destructive fishing practices extend well beyond the loss of the habitat and need to be prevented. This program will work to end DFP's by supporting a profitable business program embedded within a reef protection directive. The use of blast fishing is a wide-spread DFP. Studies have shown that the coral rubble left after blast fishing is unsuitable for new coral recruitment because of the constantly shifting nature of this rubble on the sea floor. We have seen many areas in the Philippines laid barren of any living coral by the use of blast fishing.

In American Samoa we have seen coral reef areas that were blast fished in the late 1950's that still do not provide a suitable environment for the settlement and growth of any coral species after nearly 50 years. Many studies have been done on these blasted areas, and they report that re-growth is very slow if not nonexistent. (reference?)

The socioeconomic causes of DFP's are very complex and vary greatly from region to region. In many coastal communities, poverty and declining catches from conventional fishing methods encourage fishermen to use DFP's. In other communities where fish are still abundant it seems to be greed that drives the use these practices. Fishermen in Indonesia are said to be able to make more money per year using DFP's than government officials or university professors. (Erdmann, et al.)

It is in the areas where DFPs have destroyed the natural reefs that coral farming and reef restoration will have the highest level of success. In areas that are degraded by pollution some rehabilitation may be possible, but true restoration will be long in coming unless the source of the stress is removed and water quality is improved and protected at the local level and before further population increases and development occur.

Cyanide Use

Cyanide fishing is still being used to capture reef fish for food and the marine ornamental trade. This practice not only stuns and kills the fish, but also the corals and other organisms that find shelter in the reef areas where the cyanide is used. Cyanide also can cause the death of organisms some distance from the target area when it drifts in the current. Cyanide typically kills all in its path until diluted to non-lethal levels (and even then it may still be destructive in the long term). Cyanide fishing for the live food industry is very destructive and has laid waste to many reef areas for only a handful of targeted species. These fish, mainly caught for the live food trade, are mainly grouper species and the hump head wrasse, Cheilinus undulates, whose lips alone sell for hundreds of dollars a plate in Hong Kong and other Asian cities. Every fish taken for the live food industry leaves thousands of organisms dead and left on the reef to decompose along with the dead and dying corals and other marine life that is dependant on the intact ecosystem. The fishermen who use cyanide to capture fish for the MOI chase fish into coral and reef structure where they spray cyanide from squirt bottles into the crevices, stunning the fish, which are then removed with crowbars thereby permanently destroying the refuge area. Because of over fishing and Destructive Collection Practices (DCP's), the fishermen have had to go further and deeper to collect specimens. This has led to the creation of dangerous homemade Hookah rigs and their use by untrained collectors. The combination of bad equipment and uneducated diving practices has led to the injury and death of many collectors. While the long-term effects from cyanide exposure and consumption of cyanide caught fish is still under study, its potential harmful effects upon the fishermen and their families must not be overlooked. Cyanide fishing has been outlawed in nearly all Indo-Pacific countries, but the high selling price of collected fish, along with lack of enforcement and corruption, have led to the continued use of and spread through out the world of DFP's.

The Coastal Resource Program will address both over-fishing and destructive fishing methods by offering workshops at the regional and national centers as well as targeted workshops in villages. National and regional centers will offer net catch training methods in conjunction with the village level reef restoration and monitoring education programs. The training will be done as to meet or surpass the standards being set by the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) and will teach the fishermen involved the requirements and standards set by the MAC. National and regional centers will also provide materials at the lowest cost possible for the proper collection and holding of marine ornamental fish and invertebrates along with fishing equipment. The centers will also combat the use of (DCP's) by offering the villagers net catch training at the national centers where needed. To reduce pressure upon the fisheries, the centers will provide low technology and energy efficient methods of aquaculture and Polyculture training to any villages wishing to participate. By reducing the demand upon the village's fisheries, less pressure is put upon localized areas, helping in the recovery of fish stocks. The backyard and community aquaculture and Polyculture projects created will provide jobs and food to local residents. Surplus fish and vegetables produced can provide income through local markets. The national centers created will be also for the development of new aquaculture and mariculture products and methods that can be transferred to the communities. Management solutions to destructive fishing methods will be taught at the centers and the implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPA's) will be encouraged along with the sustainable management of restored coral reef and mangrove ecosystems. Community enforcement of the MPA's, coral farms, artificial reefs, and restored areas will be required and the workers and villagers themselves will be an important policing force in order to protect their livelihood. In some cases, a true policing force may be needed. Funding for such a policing force will be sought for those coastal resources projects by the regional and national centers based upon need.

Pollution

With the rapidly increasing populations in the Small Island and developing nations there has also been an increase in the amounts of pollution. The use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are all increasing as more agricultural land is created to feed the growing populations. Unfortunately, dangerous pesticides, some of which have shown high levels of bioaccumulation, are still used in many of the world's developing countries even though their use has been outlawed in the United States. As these areas are cleared of their forest cover, the amount of sediment in freshwater runoff is also greatly increased. These sediments can choke out and smother corals many miles from the source tributary.
While the use of pesticides is beyond the program's ability to control, the centers can help reduce the use of the more damaging chemicals by working with agriculture based government and non-governmental organizations. This program can help to make villagers more aware of just what the effects of the pesticides on their coastal resources are, and help promote the less damaging chemicals and biological control methods where possible.

The pollution sources, namely sedimentation, organic and inorganic chemicals/pesticides, petroleum, heavy metals, sewage, and fertilizers are all addressed during both the two week center training course and during the one week on-site village workshop. Because it is imperative to address the sources of pollution as well as the recovery and health of the reefs, there will be much emphasis on these problems as they directly effect the various regions and cultures. Actions to combat pollution will be sought at the village, watershed, regional, and national level. Assessments on the actions to be taken will be conducted at the start of the projects and throughout the life of each project. Village and watershed pollution awareness programs will be supported by the centers and the centers will work with governmental and non-governmental organizations whenever possible. In many areas where the pollution is too intense for reef restoration and habitat recovery, the centers will help provide the needed materials to bring about more public awareness to the problem so that restoration in the future can be accomplished.

Marine Debris

Marine debris is a growing problem around the world. To help combat this problem the regional centers will encourage and sponsor local actions such as reef and beach clean ups. Due to the fact that plastic waste is becoming a large problem in many countries, CORL is looking into the reuse and recycling of products to solve problems such as the lack of building materials. Unfortunately, because of the lack of uniformity in the types of plastics used, many items may not be recyclable. CORL will work with the governments not only in an effort to reduce the use of plastics, but also to encourage the use of recyclable plastic products.

Because the program being proposed is to be one of mainly coastal resource management and environmental education no funding for these recycling projects will be sought for initially. However, if the amount of recyclable materials is great enough, and local business possibilities are found to be feasible, CORL will help seek the funding on a project by project basis.

Removal of coral for building structures is a large problem in many areas and will be addressed as a priority item. Already many nations understand that the removal of the coral and live rock for building materials is not a renewable use of resources and have banned harvesting for that purpose. CORL will seek to stop any such use and will actively seek solutions such as recycling for the creation of building materials.

Other environmental issues to be addressed by this program

Biopollution when a non-native species is found in a area the regional office will inform authorities and will implement measures to restrict its expansion where possible. Only those species naturally occurring will be allowed for is-situ mariculture at any CORL CRC.

Biopiracy The removal of an organism for propagation from the nation where it is naturally found without any royalties being returned to that country. This is becoming a problem not only in the bioprospecting industry but also in the aquarium industry. Currently the collection of fresh water tropicals in some of the South American countries has been outlawed and persons caught collecting fish within their borders arrested. This Program that CORL is proposing helps protect a countries biological resources by only producing corals within the countries borders. The Creation of the Mariculture Certificates also helps by returning money generated by the propagation by hobbyist of CORL products directly back to the CORL farm where they originated.

Endemic species protection and mariculture, Endemic species are to be targeted for mariculture when ever possible to assure their protection. These species will only be sold once a separate stable population has been created.

Creating National and Regional Centers

The amount of infrastructure needed for the operation of a restoration project will vary from country to country. If the country wishes to create a self-financing restoration project the more products it can produce the better. This strategy will provide the diversity needed to satisfy the demands of the Marine Ornamental Industry. In areas where fish stocks have been severely over-fished, pressure can be taken off the local fisheries by supplying the communities with low technology aquaculture methods alongside the reef restoration technology.

Programs such as ICLARM and Land Grant have similar goals. This program can be used in conjunction with these and will work well with the new Sea Grant program within the United States and its territories.

Some large archipelagos and island nations such as the Philippines are spread out over thousands of square miles and several regional centers will be needed to reach the villages and adequately cover the areas involved. In Small Island, developing, and underdeveloped countries where unemployment is a large problem, the program can also focus on other types of village mariculture such as algae, Tridacna clam, Trochus and Abalone farming to supply more income along with consistent food sources. The coral and clams skeletons from these projects can also be used for the curio trade reducing the demand for wild collection.

The use of regional centers also can greatly reduce the social stresses that exist between regions. In the Philippines, for example, there are many dialects and social barriers between regions. By employing residents from the same region at the centers, many of the societal problems can be overcome. Because some areas may be of one religion and other areas of another, the regional offices can tailor their programs to work around religious holidays to avoid conflicts that would occur if all had to operate as a single business. By doing this it also distances the national center from any conflicts that may occur in the way of favoritism toward any of the villages or regions. The national centers will help the regional centers by providing them with not only the mariculture technology but also with a source of funding for other local and regional community projects once the program reaches its own self-funding status. Using a national center will also provide the whole program with the ability to combine orders for goods needed not only in the reef restoration, but also for supplies such as; netting, hand nets, fish meal, fingerlings, pond liners, snorkeling and scuba gear, monitoring equipment, office gear, etc.

The regional centers will also support national centers by creating a much closer relationship with the community than the national center alone. The regional centers will help the national center by reporting the monitoring and success of each of the coral farms and the reef restoration progress. For the national center to compile the information and report on 1000 coral farms would be a monumental task. By using regional centers the workload on national center can be lessened and its focus can be on producing new mariculture products and selling those products to the Marine Ornamental Industry. It also will be the national center's objective to compile the collected information from the regional centers and make yearly status reports on the success of failure of the program as a whole.

These centers can also serve to educate villagers and communities by opening their facilities for other organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, to use for workshops and awareness programs. In areas where the use of cyanide collection is suspected the regional centers will be responsible for cyanide detection laboratories.

This program is designed to fill the needs of individual nations and US territories. The cost will vary due to the specific country's needs and existing programs. Estimated cost could range from $500,000 to $3 million per national center depending on the program needs and existing infrastructure that could be shared.

This proposal contains 2 pilot projects: one for the United States Territory of American Samoa and one for the Philippines. These two pilot programs were chosen because of the many physical, social, and economic differences that exist between the two areas. By choosing these two areas for the pilot programs much information and knowledge will be gained on its use in both the Small Island territory and large archipelago nations. Because they represent two such diverse situations a broad understanding on what it takes to create a successful community coral reef restoration project will be realized.

Program Objectives

The main objectives of this Coastal Resource Program are:

1) Create a community-based reef restoration program with professional support at the regional, national and international level.
2) Restore lost coral reef habitat and protect existing reef areas.
3) Supply a means of funding for reef restoration and habitat improvement through local resident training and employment.
4) Train community members in reef restoration techniques that are feasible in each specific region.
5) Enhance community environmental awareness.
6) Provide local communities with a source of sustainable income that is beneficial to the environment.
7) Promote sustainable coastal resource use.
8) To help in the development of coral reef and coastal habitat restoration methodology.
9) Provide on-going research for mariculture.
10) Create new mariculture products that can be produced at the community level.
11) Provide aquaculture techniques to reduce the pressure on coastal marine resources.
12) To supply the scientific community with a database of reliable information on coral reef restoration and mariculture methods as well as community ecology.

Reef Restoration and Rehabilitation Today and in the Future

If the present rate of coral reef loss continues unabated, the end of the world's coral reef ecosystems may arrive in our lifetime according to recent scientific estimates. One course of action that has been discussed to keep this from happing is to restore the reefs at a rate resulting in no net loss of ecosystem biomass (that is at a rate of reef restoration that offsets the rate of destruction). The definition of restoration most commonly used is "the return of a habitat to a close approximation of its condition prior to disturbance." (Precht and Dodge) The mission of every ecological restoration project is to reestablish a functional ecosystem of a designated type that contains sufficient biodiversity to continue its maturation by natural processes and to evolve over longer time spans in response to changing environmental conditions. (Crewell, et all) Because the coral reef habitat is so complex and diverse, true restoration will be a hard goal to achieve in the short-term 1 - 3 year projects. Fortunately, the corals themselves provide a key to the restoration of the habitat. Most of the quick growing corals are the first coral species to colonize and grow on newly formed suitable substrate and are termed the pioneering species. These same corals are very easy to propagate by means of fragmentation. Planting these corals onto suitable substrates (either natural or artificial) allows the damaged coral reefs to regain critical habitat cover and partial functionality in 3 - 5 years. These pioneering species can be quickly reestablished, providing coral cover and paving the way for the secondary coral reef species. Therefore, true coral reef restoration can be accomplished.

If restoration cannot be fully achieved or isn't the intended goal of a project then it is classified as rehabilitation which is commonly defined as "any ecologically beneficial treatment short of full restoration1." (Crewell, et all) Current reef restoration techniques are very expensive and time consuming. This is partly because coral reef restoration to date has mainly been concerned with restoring of coral reefs that have been disturbed by ship groundings or other massive physical trauma, where restoring the site to its previous state was the goal. New methods of coral propagation such as collecting gametes from sexual reproduction and allowing their settlement and growth in the laboratory are making headway. This method could prove to be the best way to propagate the so-called Large Polyped Stony corals (LPS) for both reef restoration and the Marine Ornamental Industry.Using this method could produce corals for reef restoration projects in as little as 2 years. While gamete / planulae collection and settlement shows great promise much more research is needed if it is to be used in large-scale reef restoration projects. Today its use for the MOI is still years away and needs much more research and development before it can be utilized. The centers created in this program will research and develop this method of propagation as a priority item for both reef restoration and the support of local communities via the MOI.

Coral reef restoration in this context will require a low technology method that is also low on operational cost. This proposal is for such a program and it goes a few steps further creating a self-funding source for the program after a few years. The proposed program will help lead the way toward making reef restoration and rehabilitation a realistic practice and will lay the foundation for low tech village/community reef restoration and rehabilitation. The infrastructure created in the formation of national and regional centers will also help with the quick dissemination of new restoration methods and techniques as they are developed.

The numerous coral farm and village restoration projects this program creates will provide a large amount of scientific information that will be can be used for determining success of future restoration projects and the efficiency of restoration methods. To restore reefs damaged by the effects of humans, the first thing needed will be assessment of the areas and the anthropogenic stresses upon them. The areas where destructive fishing practices have damaged or destroyed the reefs and where pollution levels are still low (or corrective measures can be taken) will be the best for such restoration projects. Other areas that have been severely degraded by pollution and sedimentation, however, will need a very aggressive campaign program to improve the quality of the environment to a condition where restoration or at least rehabilitation can be undertaken.

A Brief Explanation of the CORL Coral Farming Method

The way CORL coral farms are set up are different from farms currently in operation. We feel that any maricultured coral should meet set minimum requirements to be called maricultured. CORL has defined a maricultured coral as:

A coral or sessile invertebrate at least twice removed from the parent colony (C2) and has increased its biomass at least 7 times from the time of its attachment to an artificial substrate each time.

Or:

A coral or sessile invertebrate Raised from collected gametes or spat that is removed from the wild and settled out and grown on a artificial substrate in a semi-controlled environment until it reaches a size where it will have a higher chance (better than 50%) of survival if reintroduced into the wild.

If the propagation method is by fragmentation the resulting coral colony is a clone made up of the same genetic information as its donor colony. A cloned colony from a wild donor is abbreviated as (C) a colony from a cloned colony is (C2).

CORL's method of creating an artificial reef to use as a mother (donor) coral does add quite a bit of capital investment to the start up cost of a CORL coral farm. CORL feels that any use of a coral reefs resource must be done in a manner that creates the least amount of stress or is beneficial to the existing environment. CORL's goals include protecting the existing coral reefs resources, so one of the first objectives in any CORL restoration process has to be the removal of stress from the existing reefs and creation of a MPA area for protection of the resource. To do this CORL uses Reef Balls ™ designed reefs to act as an artificial reef to supply the nursery with the needed fragments for grow out (C level). CORL has helped the Reef Ball, Co. to develop its current fragmentation, attachment and nursery methods. By removing the need to return to the existing donor reef for more coral fragments the stress of repeated fragment collection is removed from the active biological reef. All CORL coral farms will meet or surpass any certification standards of practice set by MAC or any government where a CORL coral farm is located. CORL will also assist the MAC in creating a set of standards of practice for maricultured coral products.

Giving the Hobbyist a Way to Directly Help Fund Reef Restoration Projects

As previously stated in CORL's introduction, "The Coalition Of Reef Lover's (CORL) (501-c-3 pending) was formed in 1999 to give all who cares about the protection of coral reefs a way to directly and indirectly contribute to the protection and sustainable use of the world's coral reefs." While the sale of the CORL farm products pays for the restoration of the reefs it does not provide a way for the hobbyist to directly contribute to the restoration program. CORL makes it possible for the marine hobbyist to directly contribute to the preservation two ways:

1) They, like anyone, can contribute donations to CORL and can ask that the donated funds are used for reef restoration projects.
2) The hobbyist can purchase a Certificate of Mariculture for any CORL product produced at a CORL farm or CORL CRS. These funds automatically return to the area where the organism was raised.

At CORL's web site, there is a coral tracking database where a hobbyist can track his CORL maricultured product using its tracking number all the way back to the point of collection. CORL will provide to the hobbyist a downloadable Mariculture Certificate of Origin for a small fee, this Certificate will list where the coral originated and give information on the coral farm and the species of coral. About 75% of the proceeds generated will go back to the coral farm that produced the coral, and the remainder will be used to fund the database. So if the certificate cost $2.00 about $1.50 will be made available to help the village restore their reefs. If a hobbyist grows that coral and fragments it to give cloned colony to another hobbyist the new hobbyist can also obtain a slightly modified certificate. The C3 certificate will provide the same information on the coral's origin but with the clone number (C) followed by the generation (+n). The added info from this new owner will be added to the coral tracking database. Receipt of the original tracking number from the seller. The database will automatically list this new colony as a (C3) and a running record of that coral's lineage and ownership will be created within the database. This downloadable certificate will be of slightly less cost than the original (C2), but the cost for subsequent C's will remain the same. So far we are considering the C3 cost to be 50 cents to $1.00. It will be interesting to see if the hobbyists opt to receive the certificates. From those that I have talked to and those who have responded to CORL's, surveys it seems that most embrace this idea and are willing to buy the certificates knowing that the majority of the funds generated go to reef restoration.

Being environmentalists as well as hobbyists, we think this will become a good way to supplement many of the coral farms and the reefs to be restored. The data collected will also provide a large amount of searchable information both for the hobbyist and scientist. Many scientific undertakings will be made easier by use of the available data, such as epidemiology studies, growth monitoring, genetic drift, etc.

To create a source of ongoing funding for the CORL USA branch, a percentage of the sales of CORL farmed products will be given to CORL USA. This percentage will not exceed 20% of the income made by the sale of products from any CORL project or program. In the nations where poverty is a large problem a limit of 10% or less of the income created by the sale of products will be sent to the CORL USA projects.

The proceeds coming to the CORL USA branch will be used to:

1) Educate the marine hobbyist on coral reefs and their role in the degradation of the coral reefs.
2) Promote the sale of maricultured products within the hobby.
3) Educate the hobbyist on how to lower their impact upon the world's coral reefs.
4) Help fund research for advancements in the marine aquarium hobby.
5) Help fund a marine technology center.
6) To provide the funding needed to support the CORL USA operation and programs (namely the web server and database servers and personnel).
7) Promote the marine aquarium hobby as an environmental education tool.
8) Promote the purchase of CORL products.

The Marine Aquarium Hobby as A Educational Tool

One of the most overlooked benefits of the Marine Ornamental Industry is its educational value. Aquariums both Marine and Freshwater can provide the best ways to teach environmental education in both the developed and the developing nations.
The aquarium provides a working model of an aquatic ecosystem whose function can be compared to that of our Biosphere. Everything that effects our environment can be visualized and studied by the use of the simplified habitats that we can keep in the aquarium. Nutrient cycles, the effects of global warming on aquatic ecosystems, pollution, sedimentation, atmospheric deposition, and even the stress caused by noise pollution these can all be studied and taught in the classroom using aquariums.

The households that have marine aquariums (both fish and Reef and all those in-between) were estimated at about 1,000,000 in the US in 1994, if this number is correct there should be about 1,800,000 households with marine aquariums by the end of 2003 (using a conservative increase of 7%/yr). (MOT). The results so far from an ongoing CORL hobbyist survey show that the average reef aquarium hobbyist has 52 people see their aquarium every year, and that 92.3 % of those hobbyist responding talk to each of the visitors about the aquarium and its inhabitants (CORL survey Reefs.org). While this survey is just starting and many more replies are needed it is already becoming apparent that the potential for the hobbyist to bring attention to the Coral Reef habitat is great. If indeed 1,800,000 households have marine aquariums, and 30% of those are reef aquariums, then using the info collected so far, this means the Marine reef keeping hobbyist alone as a group have the potential to reach and inform 31,000,000 people a year! Seeing that 92% of those reef hobbyist talk about there aquarium and the reef habitat that's a total of 28,500,000 people who are exposed to the reefs inhabitants and are informed about them in person. Add to this 28,000,000 the 35,000,000 who visited a Public Aquarium in 2000 (AZA website) (many public aquariums do not have coral reef exhibits) and the education potential for Coral Reef awareness using reef aquariums alone is very large!

The Bottom Line

Funding the CRC's using the income of the MOI.

We have previously estimated the United State's demand for corals and found that for 2003 the calculated number of pieces to be approximately 3,500,000 this is just the demand for the stony or hard corals. Maricultured SPS corals are presently selling at $18.00 to $30.00 USD wholesale depending on species. Using the lower end value of $18.00 and figuring international shipping rates at $4.50/kg an aquacultured coral (about 0.5 kg with salt water ready for shipment) would cost approximately $2.30 ea.(inc. box weight) to ship to the USA. We can roughly calculate that the landed price of the coral at the nation of sale should be about $7.00 ea. Most wholesalers and retailers use a 300% mark up to cover the cost of shipping. At present, the cost of some wild collected corals is quite a bit lower, because of this an FOB price of $4.50 USD would be best at this time. For the two pilot projects included in this program proposal, the value of $4.50 was used to calculate incomes generated. At the cost of $4.50 ea., the wholesale cost would be $13.50 (at a 300% mark up) and the retail price would be $40.00ea. These prices are in line with the current retail prices of wild collected colonies.

To determine the cost to produce the coral at the coral farm we must calculate all the cost involved, this includes the cost of putting the restorative corals on the reef. The first thing that needs to be decided is what the cost of corals for reef restoration in relation to those that are sold to the MOI will be. In most cases CORL has determined that a 1/10 ratio works well and is acceptable by most governmental and private institutions. To help calculate the cost of any CORL coral farm (CORL farm) we have developed a workable spreadsheet that can automatically calculate the info needed for any country by filling in the variables. Using this spreadsheet anyone can quickly determine the profitability of a coral farm. ( I must thank Sanjay Joshi for his help with the Coral Farm Cost Spread sheet)

Using the coral spread sheet and entering the variables that are on it for the Philippines project, for example, we find that the total cost to produce a fragment for the MOI is about 47 cents, this includes the cost to place the ten fragments back onto the reef. From the same source, we can find that to restore 1 square kilometer of coral reef a year, at a coral density of 10 pieces pre square meter, the CORL farm will need to raise 100,000 pieces of coral in the coral nursery. The amount of maricultured corals to be sold to the MOI per year, for the project is 10,000. The buying price in for the corals from the communities is $1.50 ea., therefore a gross income of $15,000 a year can be earned by the CORL farm. The total for labor in this case is $4,777.00 so the net profit is about $9,786.00. From page 1, Material Cost of the spreadsheet, we see that the coral farm will cost about $12,000.00 to set up. The coral farm therefore will break even within the first 1.5 years. The cost to set up a CORL farm can also be reduced by the community acquiring donations and governmental grants. Some funds will be generated for the CORL farms by the sale of mariculture certificates to the hobbyist.

When we consider that the estimated coral imports for 2003 are 3,500,000 pieces in the US alone and that 1/3 of these corals can be maricultured at this time, the potential income that can be produced for the program is $3,465,000.00. If we figure in a growth rate of 7% a year (low by most estimates) within 8 years the program could produce $5,000,000.00 per year. The actual estimated results that are given in the 8 year time tables provided for the two pilot programs, were calculated as if the projects were to start in 2003.

From these figures it is shown that the Marine Ornamental Industry is a large force that has the potential to channel the needed money into the protection and sustainable use of the ecosystems from which its products originate.

The program being proposed by CORL is one of Coastal Resource Management that will not be limited to the Coastal habitats. It is well known that to preserve the marine habitats near shore one must start at the top of the mountain. Watershed management must be included in any coastal resource management plan. This CRM plan will not only be self funding, but will also have the ability to fund other programs that can further enhance the living conditions in the communities, and the sustainable use of their resources.

The Use of natural resources has just about always been one of exploitative use by business. This program will break some of the traditional barriers that have always existed between the business community and the village community. It will create a new type of business where the profits generated go into creating new environmentally
sound practices and the results of the production of those products are beneficial to both the community and the environment. This Is the type of mentality that needs to be created if mankind is to ever reach a sustainable rate of development on our planet we call earth.

CORL has received permission and blessings from the Philippine Government for

1) The creation of artificial reefs using Reef Ball and CORL technologies
2) The creation of community "CORL" coral farms
3) The collection of coral fragments for mariculture
4) The exclusive rights to export 10% of the corals grown for sale to the marine ornamental industry.

CORL is also involved in the aquaculture experimentation of Pacu in the Philippines as a source of fish protein both for commercial scale use and as a back yard aquaculture product.

CORL will be relocating to American Samoa and will be working on the pilot program there as of November 2002

Questions and Answers

What have you found to be the most exciting part of your job with CORL?

Diving!!!!! I like to work with the villages too. It's all exciting!

What has been your most frustrating moment?

Dealing with island time.

How soon do you see CORL's objectives to be implemented?

The American Samoan project is underway now. The PI project is a couple years off. We are already working on our objectives in AS. The CORL USA objectives will take longer as they are based on the funding from over-seas projects.

What incentive do the collectors have to use the methods described by CORL? Is there legislation pending that would make them have a vested interest in using the databases and whatnot?

The data bases are to help the hobby move in a possitive direction. In the future I can't see any other course to take than some regulation. We are just losing the coral reefs too fast and our hobby is growing very fast so there is a conflict that must be addressed soon.

Why did you choose American Samoa as a site for CORL as opposed to other locations?

American Samoa is one end of a spectrum. The cost of labor is high and the species available to mariculture is low. The Philippines are the other end of the spectrum. Low labor and high amounts of marketable species. Both have a great need to restore damaged reef areas.

Do governments understand that run-off and over-fishing are doing greater damage than this hobby is doing to the world's natural reefs?

Yes most governments know it.

What can be done to overcome the coruption and lack of enforcement in the use of cyanide?

Creation of MPA's at the village level and I think licensing of the long boats that exploit the far shore reefs are needed also.

What kind of growth rates are you getting on the recently restocked frags?

1/2-3/4" frags to 7x biomass in 6months to 1 year depending on species.

For the trial projects, what is "sustainable income" for the local communities? And how does that prevent the local community from engaging in other activities (those not desired) to enhance the "sustainable income"?

Sustainable income is the income derived from a renewable resource that has no extractive or degrading effects. By teaching and involving the community directly, one can teach the whys and needs to do this to the community.

Is there a way to get a listing of LFS' and MO's that are members of C.O.R.L.?

Not yet. We will be selling to distributors and they will be selling to the stores.

Is the costing software that CORL used available? if so where?

It will be soon. We are currently in the process of doing the second version that will be more workable. When done, it will be published on our website.

What is American Samoa like compared to the states, as far as daily living, the same?

Laid back island-style living with most of the comforts of home, but uncommerciallized unlike other islands.

Will the CORL USA project get corals from the carribean that are now off limits released to us if CORL is implemented?

I just talked to two groups who would like to and I promised to help them this week at the CRTF meeting in Puerto Rico. We do have a permit to raise and sell Caribbean corals BTW.

When do you expect the first CORL animals to make it to the U.S.; and will only MAC certified retailers be allowed to sell the CORL livestock?

No, CORL is independent of MAC. Some American Samoan Corals will be available by next fall.

Do you want/need any help out there? ;)

Well that brings up something I didn't talk about. To assure we are doing what we say we are, we will be inviting hobbyists to visit our projects as ecotourist so they can report what they see. We can't pay your way, but we will give you a place to stay and a meal or two a day :)

Thanks for the great talk, Mike!

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