Coral Farming: Moving Towards Sustainable Live Corals for the Marine Aquarium Trade Gayatri Reksodihardjo Lilley Yayasan Alam Indonesia Lestari 2 nd International Ornamental Fish Trade and Technical Conference in Sri Lanka February 8 10, 2017, Colombo Sri Lanka
Outline: 1. Background 2. The Indonesian trade in cultured corals 3. The Management of cultured corals 4. Economic Aspects 5. Challenges for coral culture in Indonesia
Coral Reefs at Risk >85% Indonesia s reefs at high threat from human activities 569 hard coral species found in Indonesia 81 hard coral species for live coral trade http://www.reefbase.org/global_database/dbt5,32,idn,1.aspx http://pdf.wri.org/reefs_at_risk_revisited.pdf
LIVE CORAL EXPORTED FROM INDONESIA Indonesia is the main supplier of live corals for the global marine aquarium trade Year Harvest quota of live corals (pcs) 2006 855,500 2007 839,316 2008 772,900 2009 770,250 2010 751,250 2011 727,750 2012 657,750 2013 637,750 2014 619,250
When it started Coral mariculture started in Indonesia in 1998, with research conducted on the fast-growing coral species : Acropora. In 2002, the Government decreed that all live coral exporters had to start coral mariculture The first export of maricultured coral from Indonesia was in 2002, with the majority of exported species being fastgrowing small-polyp species.
The purpose of culturing coral is: 1) To reduce the collection of live corals from the natural reef habitats 2) To reduce habitat degradation 3) To provide corals that can be used to rehabilitate coral reef ecosystems 4) To provide alternative incomes for coastal communities 5) To use them as a campaign tool to promote the protection of coral reefs (including encouraging conservation initiatives by local coastal communities).
The live corals traded from Indonesia are from wild collection, and also from cultured corals through fragmentation. The Indonesian CITES Authority produced guidelines for wild coral collection and coral mariculture, and also guidelines for coral culture audit. Coral Trade Management
Management measures for wild coral collection Control measurements for wild coral collection are through the mechanisms of: 1) Establishment of harvest quotas by the Indonesian CITES authority; 2) Issuance of permits (collection, inter-island transportation, and export); 3) Licenses for traders (local suppliers and exporters); 4) Allowable size for collection/harvest, which is a maximum of 25 cm.
Management measures for coral culture 1) Recording of all transplantation activities; 2) Tagging/marking of individual cultured corals; 3) Submitting the Maximum Estimated Production (MEP); 4) A minimum of 10 % of all cultured corals should be reserved as parental specimens for production of the next generation of cultured coral; 5) 10 % of the farmed corals should be returned to the reefs to support reef rehabilitation; 6) An audit is performed once every year by the Indonesian Coral Reef Working Group, which is a thirdparty auditor appointed by the Indonesian Government.
Cultured Coral Management The guidelines include: Marking (tagging) to differentiate between wild- and cultured corals; Recording of cultured coral harvests; Maximum Estimated Production (MEP); Reporting of the coral culture activities Label: ID0805Acsp2.00486 08 - Company Code (XXXX Ltd.) 05 - Year of Propagation (2005) Acsp - Species Code (Acropora sp.) 2 - Generational Level (second fragmentation) 00486 - Fragment Number (#486)
Broodstock management Broodstocks are only allowed from areas approved for coral collection. The collection of broodstock must come from wild coral sources, based on quotas issued by the CITES authority. There are 11 provinces where collection of live wild corals is allowed. Currently there are 49 species of corals that are allowed to be used for coral culture for the live coral trade.
Broodstock management The maximum size of broodstock taken from the wild is betwen 5 25 cm in diameter or height. Growers are encouraged to try to culture species that are not yet on the list. Based on the reports of growth rates, mortality rates, the availability of broodstocks, and mariculture area, the CITES authority can provide recommendations as to whether the species is eligible for trade or not.
Coral culture in shallow water The current practice for in-situ coral culture relies on the use of tables/racks as growth platforms; The tables for the majority of fast-growing species are placed in shallow water at depths of between 2-5 meters
Coral culture in deeper water Some growers put the tables in deeper water (up to 20 meters), to copy the natural habitats where the species were originally found.
Economic Aspects As the areas of intact reefs become less, and regulations for wild coral collection are more strictly enforced, coral culture becomes a more financially -viable option. Coral culture provides local coastal communities with an alternative source of income, and in particular, gives opportunities for women to become coral farmers.
Economic Aspects Although coral culture needs investment and time to produce the harvest, the income from cultured corals is promising, with the price of each individual cultured coral ranging from USD 1 USD 10, depending on species.
Challenges for coral culture in Indonesia Lack of controls during mariculture activities, such as unreported and inaccurate data about the numbers of each species, the availabilty and the number of broodstocks, and misclassified/misidentified species; Habitat degradation due to uncontrolled broodstock collection and coral culture activities, such as placing the racks on top of existing live coral colonies. Threat of local depletion/extinction of target species due to uncontrolled coral culture activities, including overcollection. Lack of traceability, limited paper trails, limited data kept or reported. Lack of transparency, the need for more reliable data on the actual value and volume of corals in trade The Indonesian CITES authorities distinguish between trade in wild corals and cultured corals. However, wild corals are often claimed to be cultured;
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