Acropora palmata, the majestic and endangered elkhorn coral

Acropora palmata, the Elkhorn Coral, is the quintessential Caribbean Coral Reef species. This species was once so abundant that entire regions of the reef were called the ‘Palmata Zone’ and it was important to know where the palmata zones were,…

Clownfish will NOT be listed as a threatened or endangered species

Good news for the hobby as the potential threat of the clownfish being listed as a threatened or endangered has been averted. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the species does not warrant the listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The NMFS…

Coelacanth at risk of extinction

Of all the species that deserve to protected by all the Endangered Species Acts of the world, the Coelacanth is definitely high on the list. While the so-called “Center for Biological Diversity” is busy litigating to get stony coral species…

National Marine Fisheries Service requests Comments from public to ascertain a potential 4(d) ruling on threatened corals

Uh oh. It looks like someone is doing their job at the National Marine Fisheries Service. Do you remember the 20 species of corals that were listed as threatened in 2014? The agency stated today: “We are now considering whether…

Are Banggai cardinalfish endangered species or invasive species?

Earlier this week, the results of a 12-month finding by the National Marine Fisheries Service has concluded to propose the beloved Banggai cardinalfish as an endangered species. Together with three species of little-known stony corals, the Banggai cardinalfish, which is…

USFWS Los Angeles: It is now illegal to import frogspawn & certain deepwater acro species

Update:  9/16/14 4:15PM CT Waiting on a call back from the Office of External Affairs regarding the validity of it being an honest mistake. Update 2: USFWS Los Angeles: We are now advising the trade of coming ESA listings We…

Clownfish could be declared an endangered Species

That’s according to a new report from National Marine Fisheries Service that Clownfish (Percula) may warrant protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act because of threats from global warming and ocean acidification. The service will now conduct a status review…

Halichoeres socialis: did you know this small wrasse is critically endangered?

There’s a teeny tiny little wrasse living in the Gulf of Mexico called Halichoeres socialis which is all but unknown in the aquarium world, and it may not last long of this world at all. Living over a tiny 10 square…

Breaking: NOAA announces the proposal to list 66 stony coral species as endangered or threatened

Just hours ago NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) made public their intention to move forward with the proposal to list 66 species of stony corals under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). You may recall that three years…

Massive coral reef, twice the size of Manila, destroyed in Philippines by poachers

A tragic crime that is being described as “the rape of the ocean” took place in the Philippines where poachers decimated an entire reef area almost twice the size of Manila harvesting over 21,000 pieces of black coral and killing 161 endangered sea turtles and…