Seized Living Coral Gets 2nd Chance

Hundreds of little living hunks of coral got a new lease on life Monday at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.

They will not join thousands of other pieces of contraband coral on coffee tables across the United States. Instead, they will be be used to teach children and other aquarium goers around the state about the threat to the world’s coral reefs, the importance of preserving them, and why it is a bad idea to wear coral jewelry.

“When these things show up, it’s like Christmas,” said biologist Paul Clarkson, gesturing excitedly to the coral floating in containers.

The aquarium operates a home for illegally harvested coral, such as Clarkson’s latest shipment, seized at Los Angeles International Airport two weeks ago on its way from South Pacific coral reefs to stores in the United States.

The contraband, which included more than 200 pieces, was trucked to the Aquarium of the Pacific, where biologists spent Monday preparing it for shipment to aquariums across California.

“What amazes me is how much is coming in,” said Clarkson, carefully packing fist-sized pieces of coral, which sell for up to $80, into plastic bags for their trip.

Coral reefs exist only in tropical and semitropical waters. Tiny organisms build them slowly by secreting rock-like structures, gradually constructing a home not just for themselves but for 25% of the ocean’s marine life.

Up to 60% of the world’s coral reefs are dying, and with them, the fragile ecosystems that depend on them, according to Sandy Trautwein, curator of fishes and invertebrates at the Aquarium of the Pacific. One of the main causes, in addition to pollution and global warming, is the American market for it, for fish tanks or decoration, Trautwein said.

Los Angeles is the primary U.S. entry point for coral. Agents estimate that every week, more than 4,000 pieces of live coral arrive at LAX, much of it illegal.

Packed in their own plastic bags, suspended in salt water and surrounded by heat packs and foam, which keep them at 74 degrees during the long plane journey, the coral can arrive in stores less than 48 hours after being harvested.

In an effort to save coral reefs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has joined with other governments to form a Coral Reef Task Force to limit the amount of coral that can be harvested legally from reefs in the Philippines, Indonesia and other Pacific Rim countries.

The job of Fish and Wildlife agents is to enforce those quotas, but despite their efforts to inspect shipments and scrutinize importers, they estimate that they seize less than 15% of the contraband coral coming through LAX. They also seize thousands of pieces of dead coral, as well as necklaces and other items, from importers and tourists who don’t know they are wearing a threatened species.

Eventually, officials at the Long Beach Aquarium hope to find a way to return the coral to Southeast Asia and nurse the ailing reefs back to health.