GroktheCube
New member
If things keep going in the direction they are vis a vis ESA and new legislation to protect corals, it may become necessary for growers (at least commercial ones) to certify their corals as being captive grown.
One easy way to do this might be with small RFID chips. An aquaculture facility propagating a threatened species could file an application with either the relevant regulatory agency or a private entity serving the same purpose proving that they had the coral before any regs were implemented, and receive a large batch of RFID chips in return. These chips could be inserted into the base of frags when they were cut off to be attached to plugs, allowing to coral to encrust over them.
At a wholesaler, or even a retailer, it would then be very easy to scan a coral with an RFID reader to verify that they were in fact legitimate, and not wild-collected specimens. Small RFID chips themselves, like the type use to "chip" dogs and cats, are extremely inexpensive, a couple of dollars, and readers are under $100. This might add $5 or so to the cost of a frag, but it'd pay off for hobbyists in general in the long run by allowing us to continue to own the corals we want to by being able to prove that they are "Reef Friendly".
Perhaps it would behoove hobbyists and coral farmers to pool their resources to get such an organization up and running before the powers that be have a chance to implement any new regulations. If we can be proactive and show that we are putting in a concerted effort to avoid removing threatened species from the wild, it might help us avoid the wrath of regulators.
One easy way to do this might be with small RFID chips. An aquaculture facility propagating a threatened species could file an application with either the relevant regulatory agency or a private entity serving the same purpose proving that they had the coral before any regs were implemented, and receive a large batch of RFID chips in return. These chips could be inserted into the base of frags when they were cut off to be attached to plugs, allowing to coral to encrust over them.
At a wholesaler, or even a retailer, it would then be very easy to scan a coral with an RFID reader to verify that they were in fact legitimate, and not wild-collected specimens. Small RFID chips themselves, like the type use to "chip" dogs and cats, are extremely inexpensive, a couple of dollars, and readers are under $100. This might add $5 or so to the cost of a frag, but it'd pay off for hobbyists in general in the long run by allowing us to continue to own the corals we want to by being able to prove that they are "Reef Friendly".
Perhaps it would behoove hobbyists and coral farmers to pool their resources to get such an organization up and running before the powers that be have a chance to implement any new regulations. If we can be proactive and show that we are putting in a concerted effort to avoid removing threatened species from the wild, it might help us avoid the wrath of regulators.
