A Cry for Corals: Lawsuit Sheds Light on Lapses in Conservation
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The Centre for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service today for failing to protect 20 coral species in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific.
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In 2014, all the corals received Endangered Species Act listings.
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However, no protections have been offered under the law, with prohibitions on collection and sale.
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n 2020, the Centre put forth a petition against the Fisheries Service to prohibit activities that kill or harm listed coral by banning their import and addressing climate change and local threats. But in 2021, the federal government declared such protections unnecessary.
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The Endangered Species Act requires the Fisheries Service to issue protective regulations that are significant to conserve the threatened species.
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The coral population has been declining exponentially worldwide due to climate change, global warming oceans and collection for the international aquarium trade, among other factors.
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Most coral reefs worldwide have been affected by marine heat waves and coral bleaching events, and about half of coral reefs from across the globe have already been destroyed due to climate change.
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The United States is the world’s largest importer of corals for aquariums but the Service is failing to even monitor trade in coral species that are listed as threatened
.
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