January Meeting is this coming Tuesday January 27, 2015. Please attend to hear about

AquamanE

Active member
Changes are lurking that can affect our hobby. :uzi: Dont take this lightly:

Speaker Julian Sprung
Discussion: The ESA, and NMFS initiatives concerning certain corals.
Place: South Plantation High School
Time: 7pm


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Meeting is open to the public, but you must be a member to participate in the $1 raffle.

RAFFLE ITEMS will include a FULL APEX system from Neptune Systems with an additional EB4 and and Automatic Feeding System. YOU HAVE TO BE A MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE IN RAFFLE!! Join at the below website to beat the crowds. We have made signing up via website easier than ever.

See: http://www.fmas1955.org for more information and map.


On January 13, 2015, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) in the Federal Register requesting public input regarding the potential need for protective regulations for 20 coral species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (80 Fed. Reg. 1616). These 20 coral species were previously listed by NMFS on September 10, 2014 (79 Fed. Reg. 53,851). Fifteen of these corals are Indo-Pacific species; 5 are Caribbean species. Key documents regarding the listing provide important background information.

At the time NMFS listed the 20 corals, the agency did not propose protective regulations for the coral species. Instead, NMFS indicated at the time of listing it would consider the need for such regulations in future processes.

Section 4(d) of ESA provides that whenever any species is listed as a "threatened" species pursuant to the ESA, the Secretary shall issue such regulations as he deems "necessary and advisable" to provide for the conservation of such species. The Secretary may by regulation prohibit with respect to any threatened species any act prohibited under Section 9(a)(1) of the ESA. Such prohibited acts include, but are not limited to, the import and export of threatened species, and possessing, selling, transporting, or shipping any species taken in violation of the ESA.

Section 4(d) of the ESA provides the Secretary with considerable flexibility to tailor protective regulations for threatened species. NMFS is now in the process of determining if any regulations are necessary and
advisable to provide for the conservation of the 20 listed coral species.

NMFS states in the ANPR that it is seeking information from the public to make this determination, and that the agency will evaluate a number of factors in determining the need for protective regulations. These factors include the biological status of the species, the potential impact of activities such as trade, import, and export on the species, and other factors, such as the efficacy of existing conservation measures.

*The Potential Impact of ESA Regulations on the Marine Trade and Aquarium Hobby:

If NMFS applies all of the prohibitions contained in Section 9(a)(1) of the ESA to the 20 listed coral species, a range of activities would become prohibited under federal law unless a party obtains further authorization from NMFS. These prohibited activities would include importing or
exporting the species; possessing, transporting or selling the listed species; or handling, capturing, or holding the species in captivity.

NMFS is now requesting public comment to help them understand and analyze the impacts of various activities, as well as the "efficacy" of ongoing conservation activities (e.g., CITES or other government regulatory regimes
or non-governmental programs).

For more information see:
http://www.pijac.org/pet-alerts/nmf...ing-protec=tive-regulations-20-corals-species

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Julian Sprung is one of many involved in advocating for our hobby. Please come and share a very educational evening with him, and your local fish heads
 
I’ll be there! this is a very interesting topic and I can't think of a better person in the industry to explain it! look forward to see you all.
 
If you can only make a handful of meetings this year, this is certainly one of the meetings you need to attend.

Come and become more familiar on the laws that affect this hobby of ours.
 
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