NOAA's Reporter's Coral Reef Tip Sheet
July 21, 1997 - Week 29

Pieces of coral are harvested alive to supply coral researchers, public aquariums and private aquarium hobbyists. Because coral is a renewable resource like fish or trees, theoretically it can be harvested from the wild on a sustainable basis. However, if the demand for live coral (or "live rock") exceeds the natural ability of coral to regenerate, live coral harvest will become an unsustainable practice and a threat to coral reefs. In order to take some pressure off of wild coral, coral scientists, aquariums and hobbyists have begun raising coral in captivity.

The Waikiki Aquarium at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu recently received a $20,000 grant from the Conservation Endowment Fund of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) to expand its Coral Farm facilities. The AZA grant will allow the Waikiki Aquarium to double the size of its facilities and make more cultured corals available to public aquariums and researchers. The new 1,700 gallon facility is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by Sept. 1, 1997. The Coral Farm will be located in a public area with graphics to help the public gain a greater awareness and understanding of coral biology and the techniques required for raising corals in captivity.

The Waikiki Aquarium maintains 74 species of stony corals from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Palau, Guam, and Hawaii (some dating back to 1980). Because corals can grow seven inches or more per year, they require periodical "pruning." The fragments, or "cuttings," generated by this pruning activity are made available to other public aquariums and researchers. In addition to supplying public aquariums and researchers, the work at the Waikiki Aquarium may eventually pave the way for commercially viable stony coral production directed at the advanced home aquarist. Some estimates suggest that nearly 20% of today’s live coral trade is already supplied through captive propagation of coral.

Sea World of Ohio has also begun a successful coral propagation program. Over the last one-and-a-half years, Sea World of Ohio has almost doubled the biomass of its coral collection due to the rapid growth of two-inch coral "cuttings" into grapefruit-sized colonies. With this substantial increase in the size of its collection, Sea World of Ohio is currently able to supply the other Sea World parks in California, Florida and Texas with live coral fragments for their
aquarium displays, thereby minimizing Sea World’s use of coral collected from the wild.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE REEF PLEASE CONTACT:

Bruce A. Carlson
Director, Waikiki Aquarium
2777 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI, 96815
tel: (808) 923-9741
fax: (808) 923-1771
e-mail: carlson@soest.hawaii.edu
http://makaha.mic.hawaii.edu:80//aquarium/

Sue Sbrocco
Public Relations
Sea World of Ohio
1100 Sea World Drive
Aurora, OH 44202
tel: (216) 995-2110
fax: (216) 995-2119
e-mail: suesbrocco@anheuser-busch.com