Reef Ramblings

We’ve recently taken on distribution of the Dupla and Hobby ranges of aquarium equipment. One of the first products we’ve added to the range are the Hobby bladed magnetic cleaners.

Having gotten into the habit of using scrapers over the last few years, I’d forgotten how good these bladed magnets are, particularly the “Jumbo”, when it comes to removing calcareous or coralline algae. They’ll remove all but the very heaviest encrustation of coralline algae from the viewing pane of a reef aquarium.

These extra-strong algae magnets easily remove algae from aquarium glass, leaving no traces. Used just like ordinary algae magnets, the bladed half goes inside the aquarium whilst the padded half goes on the outside, enabling you to control  the cleaning action without getting your hands wet.

The Hobby bladed magnets feature two sharp stainless steel blades. These blades are made from high quality, stainless V4A steel, as used in ship-building and are guaranteed not to cut the silicon joints, nor to scratch the glass. The blades are replaceable and are available in packs of six for the standard magnet, and packs of four for the Jumbo magnet.

If dislodged, the bladed magnet floats, making recovery easy.

Caution! Given the strength of the magnets and the presence of the blades, there is a risk of injury if used improperly. Handle with care and don’t let you fingers, or any other part of you anatomy get caught between the two magnets!
Even in the case of the smaller standard magnet: Keep out of reach of children.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

There’s unsettling news this week about a Canadian LFS that seems to have been a victim of sabotage.

The recently opened Indoor Jungle, located at 1285 Kennedy Road, Scarborough, Ontario, is Canada’s largest exotic fish and reptile store.

The storeowners suspect vandalism after hundreds of fish died after bleach or a bleach like substance was poured into the centralised water system. The first indication that something was wrong was when customers alerted store employees to a strong smell of bleach coming from the tanks but by the time they reached the wall of 70 tanks, hundreds of fish were dead or dying.

Fish including small Bamboo Sharks, Queen Angelfish, and Black Lionfish along with hundreds of rare shrimps were among the 700 animals killed, along with corals imported from Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Caribbean.

Co-owner Adam Gharavi said he’s certain it wasn’t an equipment malfunction and believes that a chemical was poured into the centralised system servicing 400 tanks holding more than 5,000 fish. He said the vandal, who attacked on Wednesday afternoon, went for the store’s most expensive fish and 200 pieces of rare coral.

“We know whoever did this had some knowledge of how fish tanks work and what the fish need to survive,” Gharavi said. The cost of the incident is estimated to be tens of thousands of dollars.

Inland Jungle is one of about a dozen fish stores along Kennedy Rd. between Steeles Ave. E. and Eglinton Ave. E. Stores have happily coexisted here for years in the knowledge that the more different stores you have in the area, the more people come, to everyone’s benefit.

A Toronto police detective has been assigned to investigate the scene, and on Thursday morning, yellow police tape was seen to close off the wall lined with tanks filled with dead fish.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

We’ve just created a new Midland Reefs facebook page with the aim of keeping you informed about new products and brief news stories, without cluttering up the pages of Reef Ramblings.

Go to the facebook page to learn about our new products, ask questions about our product range, and to discuss Tim’s articles on Reef Ramblings and in Tropical Fish magazine.

Midland Reefs facebook page.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

It was reported today that the massive Dubai Aquarium had sprung a leak, resulting in the evacuation or partial evacuation of the surrounding shopping mall.

This aquarium features the world’s largest viewing panel at 32.8 meters wide and 8.3 meters high, and contains 33,000 fish including sharks and rays  in a volme of 10 million liters of water (just over 2 million UK gallons).

The extent of the damage is not clear at this time but the mall is reported to be cordoned off.

I’ve managed to locate a still image and a short video relating to this incident.

Video footage of the leak:

bcpid4267205001?bctid=68554000001

Still image courtesy of MozaAlKaabi:

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

The New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts, joined up with Rogers Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, in a project to raise the world’s first captive-bred Queen Triggerfish.

The New England Aquarium’s Bahamian coral reef exhibit features a pair of Queen Triggerfish, Balistes vertula, which have been seen to spawn since their early days in the aquarium. Although these fish regularly lay tens of thousands of eggs every 18 to 20 days, the resulting larvae need live food of a small size, making them difficult to feed and keep alive.

Most marine fish larvae are very small and need live food of a correspondingly smaller size. Whereas some species, such as clownfishes, can be successfully raised using rotifers, organisms that grow and reproduce at a fast rate and in high densities, these are too large for many other species or don’t have the correct nutritional profile needed.

In the wild larval marine fish eat copepods, micro-crustaceans found virtually everywhere in the oceans, but raising copepods in large enough quantities is currently difficult. This is one of the reasons why far fewer species of marine aquarium fish are captive bred than are wild caught.

Eggs were collected from the aquarium and taken to the university’s marine laboratory where, at the first attempt, there was a successful hatching.

Although thousands of larvae hatched, work was concentrated on a relatively small number, which were initially fed with a local species of copepod grown by the lab.

Although the majority of the larvae died, four were successfully raised to the point where they could eat dry food and now, at more than four months old, remain alive, three at the university and one at the aquarium, the first triggerfishes to have been successfully bred in captivity.

The success of this project was largely due to Dr. Rhyne’s research into copepods, the critical live food for marine fish larvae.

Dr Andy Rhyne, assistant professor of biology at Roger Williams and a research scientist at New England, was hired in August 2009 in a collaboration between the aquarium and the university to study larval fish production at the aquarium and to start a program in aquarium science and aquaculture at the university.

Today many species of fish are threatened by a combination of overfishing, climate change, and environmental degradation, indeed the Queen Triggerfish is listed on the IUCN red list as being vulnerable. The species is important both as a food fish and for public aquarium displays. It’s a large species; reaching up to 60 cms total length and its bright colours make them a favourite of public aquariums although too large for the majority of home aquaria.

This is an important step in the cultivation of marine species, as researchers such as Andy Rhyne develop new feeding strategies, it increase the chances of being able to raise further species of marine aquarium and food fish in captivity, rather than continuing to take them from the increasingly vulnerable and deteriorating oceans.

To find out more about this wonderful achievement go to MOFIB to see Andy Rhyne’s diary recording the day-by-day progress of the project.

Congratulations, Andy!

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

U.S. Considers Endangered Species Protection for 82 Stony Coral Species.

I’ve included the full NMFS document at the beginning of the article so that you can see the extent of the proposal. This is followed by a discussion about what the proposal may mean for the aquarium industry.

National Marine Fisheries Service Sets Deadline for Public and Expert Input on Petition to List 82 Stony Coral Species Under the Endangered Species Act.

From the Federal Register (Vol. 75, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 10, 2010)

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Notice of 90-Day Finding on a Petition to List 83 Species of Corals as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION: 90-day petition finding; request for information.

SUMMARY: We (NMFS) announce a 90- day finding on a petition to list 83 species of corals as threatened or endangered under the ESA. We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted for 82 species; we find that the petition fails to present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted for Oculina varicosa. Therefore, we initiate status reviews of 82 species of corals to determine if listing under the ESA is warranted. To ensure these status reviews are comprehensive, we solicit scientific and commercial information regarding these coral species.

DATES: Information and comments must be submitted to NMFS by April 12, 2010.

The 83 species included in the petition are: Acanthastrea brevis, Acanthastrea hemprichii, Acanthastrea ishigakiensis, Acanthastrea regularis, Acropora aculeus, Acropora acuminate, Acropora aspera, Acropora dendrum, Acropora donei, Acropora globiceps, Acropora horrida, Acropora jacquelineae, Acropora listeri, Acropora lokani, Acropora microclados, Acropora palmerae, Acropora paniculata, Acropora pharaonis, Acropora polystoma, Acropora retusa, Acropora rudis, Acropora speciosa, Acropora striata, Acropora tenella, Acropora vaughani, Acropora verweyi, Agaricia lamarcki, Alveopora allingi, Alveopora fenestrate, Alveopora verrilliana, Anacropora puertogalerae, Anacropora spinosa, Astreopora cucullata, Barabattoia laddi, Caulastrea echinulata, Cyphastrea agassizi, Cyphastrea ocellina, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Dichocoenia stokesii, Euphyllia cristata, Euphyllia paraancora (ed: sic), Euphyllia paradivisa, Galaxea astreata, Heliopora coerulea, Isopora crateriformis, Isopora cuneata, Leptoseris incrustans, Leptoseris yabei, Millepora foveolata, Millepora tuberosa, Montastraea annularis, Montastraea faveolata, Montastraea franksi, Montipora angulata, Montipora australiensis, Montipora calcarea, Montipora caliculata, Montipora dilatata, Montipora flabellata, Montipora lobulata, Montipora patula, Mycetophyllia ferox, Oculina varicosa, Pachyseris rugosa, Pavona bipartite, Pavona cactus, Pavona decussate, Pavona diffluens, Pavona venosa, Pectinia alcicornis, Physogyra lichtensteini, Pocillopora danae, Pocillopora elegans, Porites horizontalata, Porites napopora, Porites nigrescens, Porites pukoensis, Psammocora stellata, Seriatopora aculeata, Turbinaria mesenterina, Turbinaria peltata, Turbinaria reniformis, and Turbinaria stellula.

Eight of the petitioned species are in the Caribbean and belong to the following families: Agaricidae (1); Faviidae (3); Meandrinidae (2); Mussidae (1); Oculinidae (1).

The petition states that all of these species are classified as vulnerable (76 species), endangered (six species: Acropora rudis, Anacropora spinosa, Montipora dilatata, Montastraea annularis, M. faveolata, Millepora tuberosa), or critically endangered (one species: Porites pukoensis) by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Montipora dilatata and Oculina varicosa are also on our Species of Concern list.

So what does this mean for the aquarium industry?

This petition came about as result of move by the Center for Biological Diversity, Tucson, Arizona, a not for profit conservation organisation.

The move to include these species on the Endangered Species list may well endanger the aquarium usage of stony corals. Amongst the corals listed are a number of common aquarium species, including the currently popular Acanthastrea species along with Euphyllia species, Galaxea, multiple Pavona and Turbinaria species, plus many Acropora species. Although there are corals listed that are undoubtedly endangered there are also other resilient species mentioned that I wouldn’t have expected to see on such a list. It’s worth noting that Caribbean stony corals are already restricted, hence unavailable to the aquarium trade.

To see the position of the Center for Biological Diversity on this issue:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/coral_conservation/index.html

If the petition succeeds it would mean the banning of the collection of the listed species of stony coral from U.S. waters along with a ban on the import of these species into the United States. Obviously this would have an enormous affect on the US aquarium hobby.

There would most likely be a knock on affect to the UK and European market as some of our corals are collected from US waters around the world.

I would expect to see opposition to this petition from exporters,  particularly from non-US waters, on economic grounds i.e. the income that the coral trade brings into the local economy, and from the aquarium trade. So far the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), a US, not for profit organisation promoting responsible pet ownership and animal welfare, has raised concerns about this issue. In Europe the Sustainable Aquarium Industry Association (SAIA) is also looking at this petition.

It’s interesting to note that some coral reef scientists have also raised concerns about how this would affect their work.

Reef scientist John Bruno, of the University of North Carolina, has started to take a close look at the petition, and, finds some of the assertions made in the petition to be questionable.

To see the views of a respected reef scientist go to: Climate Shifts.org

The NMFS, the NOAA, and the Department of Commerce have opened a 90-day finding period seeking to hear “scientific and commercial information” on whether the list of stony coral species should be given protection under the Endangered Species Act. The consultation process closes 12 April 2010.

To see more go to the NOAA website: http://www.noaa.gov/

Afterword.

Is this the beginning of the end for stony corals in the reef aquarium hobby?

It’s too early to tell how this will turn out but I’ve been predicting this sort of thing happening for a number of years now. As the oceans continue to deteriorate from the effect of climate change and other anthropogenic pressures, the number of Marine Protected Areas and no-take areas will increase in an effort to preserve what’s left; it seems inevitable that this will result in increasing restrictions on collection for the aquarium industry.

Most likely there enough specimens of stony coral in captivity to provide a sustainable captive trade, it’s when it comes to fishes that the hobby will be in real trouble.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

In my article, “2010, the International Year of Biodiversity - Clownfishes.” under the section entitled, “Can clownfish adapt to climate change?” there was a mention that one species of clownfish had recently been shown to use soft corals as an alternative habitat, something previously only seen in captivity. This is referenced to Arvedlund, M., and Takemura, A. (2005) Long-term observation in situ of the anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett) in association with a soft coral. Coral Reefs 24, 698-698.

Having managed to track this paper down I can now expand on the reference.

Between May 2003 to December 2004, during the course of 37 daytime snorkeling surveys between the hours of 11.00 and 18.00, an adult Amphiprion clarkii was observed at a depth of 1 m, living in the same soft coral, a Lobophytum species of around 90 cms in diameter.

This took place in the Ryukyus Archipelago in southern Japan, at the southernmost local reef of Sesoko Island. This area was seriously affected by the global bleaching event of 1998; in the aftermath of this event several species of host anemones disappeared while the surviving anemone species declined. At the time of the paper, 2005, the anemone population had yet to recover.

Although anemonefishes are known to adopt a wide range of soft corals in captivity, this form of behaviour is almost unknown in the wild.

All 28 known species of anemonefishes have an obligate symbiotic relationship with at least one of ten species of anemones belonging to the families: Actiniidae, Stichodactylidae and Thalassianthidae. There tend to be species specific associations which range from Premnas biaculeatus, Maroon Clownfish, associating with a single species of anemone, Entacmea quadricolor, Bubble-tipped Anemone, to Amphiprion clarkii which has been found in association with all ten species of known host anemone.

From personal observation, the main author of the paper, reports that A. clarkii will often take shelter away from its host anemone when pursued by a potential predator whereas most other anemonefishes, take refuge in their host anemone.  The paper ends by speculating whether the ability of A. clarkii to associate with a wide range of anemones and, as has now been observed, with corals might go some way towards explaining why it’s the most widely distributed species of clownfish.

Other than the fact that Lobophytum species soft corals are amongst the most toxic of corals, something that might deter predation by fishes and aid the coral in competition against other corals, this species appears to offer little in the way of protection for a clownfish. This leads me to further speculate whether A. clarkii is evolving away from its obligate association with host anemones or to question if this is just one fish that has been unfortunate enough to lose its host yet been lucky enough to survive for so long in the absence of an anemone.

More reports of clownfishes, particularly A. clarkii, are required before we can come to any conclusions.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

The United Nations has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity to our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity

As part of the International Year of Biodiversity (IYOB) the IUCN has published a report presenting 10 new climate change flagship species to demonstrate that it’s not just the Polar Bear that’s in trouble.

These 10 species are as follows:

Staghorn corals

Ringed Seal

Leatherback Turtle

Emperor Penguins

Quiver Trees

Clownfish

Arctic Foxes

Salmon

Koalas

Beluga Whales

One thing that is immediately obvious from the list is that 7 of the species are marine animals. The second thing to strike me about this list is that 2 common aquarium animals are included, most worrying of all is the inclusion of the poster animal of the marine aquarium hobby, the clownfish

In this first of two articles I’m going to look at clownfish, the second article will be concerned with Staghorn corals.

Clownfish and Climate Change

Clownfish, or Anemonefish, belong to the Family Pomacentridae, with their vivid orange and white colouration are one of the most familiar species of tropical marine fishes. This familiarity was boosted by the film ‘Finding Nemo’, which featured the Common Clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, a mainstay of the marine aquarium hobby.

Clownfish are found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans where they are restricted to shallow waters owing to their mutualistic relationship with a small number of specific anemone species. A host anemone can support a colony of several clownfish consisting of one female, one functional male, and a number of subordinate fishes, all non-functional males.

When the female dies the male turns into a female whilst the largest subordinate fish becomes male. Clownfish lay their eggs close by their host anemone, guarding them until they hatch. On hatching the larvae disperse into the water column where they remain for around 8 to 12 days before settling out as juveniles and seeking a host anemone of their own. As larvae develop, chemical signals allow them to detect suitable host anemone.

Research has shown that the larvae that survive to settle out as juveniles tend to return to the reef where they originated so the majority of the survivors do not disperse very far from their parents’ anemone.

There are 28 species of clownfish described to science; all behave in a similar manner, exhibiting reliance on their obligate association with host anemones for survival.

Captive breeding.

Clownfish have been bred in captivity since the early eighties so we have a lot of information about how different environmental conditions such as temperature and pH affect this species. Although it’s interesting to note that the recent studies from the reef, revealing that reduction in ocean pH levels have an affect on clownfish’s ability to detect the chemical signals necessary for locating an anemone host, answer the question of why captive bred clowns are often slow to adopt an anemone in a reef aquarium.

Why are Clownfish vulnerable to the effects of climate change?

Habitat loss: Coral reefs are in decline owing to increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. The current level stands at 387 ppm CO2, higher than 350 ppm that many leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, and the level we need to get back to as early as possible to avoid runaway climate change. If CO2 levels reach 450 ppm, predicted to occur by 2030-2040 at the current rates of increase, reefs will be in terminal decline worldwide from mass bleaching, ocean acidification, and other environmental impacts. Clownfish are dependent on anemones for their survival, which most frequently occur on coral reefs.

A couple of examples: the global coral bleaching event of 1998, led to the complete disappearance of several sea-anemone species used by clownfish in the corals reefs around Sesoko Island, Japan, causing local population declines; and take a look at: Reef Ramblings June/July 2008 to see an earlier article about reduction in clownfish numbers on the Great Barrier Reef.

Disruption of navigation: Decrease in ocean pH levels have been shown to affect a clownfish’s ability to detect the chemical signals that allow them to locate a host anemone. This is known to be a particular problem for juveniles as, if they’re unable to locate a host, they’re at greater risk of predation. Juveniles unable to locate a new anemone face the chance of returning to their parental anemone, increasing the likelihood of inbreeding.

Larval development: As ocean temperatures increase we’d expect to see faster development of larval and juvenile clownfishes. This may bring a reduction in dispersal distance with the result of settlement closer to the parental anemone increasing local competition for recruitment to neighboring host anemones. Again increasing the possibility of inbreeding.

Reproductive behavior: Clownfish, along with many other fish species, only reproduce within a narrow temperature range. This presents the possibility that as temperatures increase that there may be a reduction in breeding activity. A secondary problem that we’re familiar with from captive breeding is that high temperatures can have a deleterious affect on egg development.

It’s also worth noting that in the IUCN report, under the heading of “Other threats”, that the marine aquarium industry is singled out for mention, although it does go on to add that the greatest threat is down to human activities, presumably the usual

Can clownfish adapt to climate change?

Currently this is unknown, most species can usually adapt to changes in environmental conditions as long as these change occur slowly over time. As ocean temperatures continue to increase, clownfish and their associated host anemones may be able to shift their ranges southwards to cooler water. However, neither clownfishes, nor their anemones, are particularly mobile so it’s likely that successful relocation to new, more suitable habitats will be limited.

The concern about more rapid larval development, with its resultant limitation on dispersal, raises the question of inbreeding, the consequences of which are unknown.

A further possibility, but one that seems to me unlikely, is whether clownfishes could adapt to seasonal breeding pattern taking advantage of the cooler seasons.

Interestingly, the IUCN report states the one species of clownfish has recently been shown to use soft corals as an alternative habitat, something previously only seen in captivity. This is referenced to Arvedlund, M., and Takemura, A. (2005) Long-term observation in situ of the anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett) in association
with a soft coral. Coral Reefs 24, 698-698.

It’s not known if other species of clownfish could adopt other host species, nor whether such associations would have the same value as the present association with anemones.

What can we do?

Whilst climate change does not mean extinction, some species will be able to adapt whilst others will perish. The question is which species will survive and which will perish? Worsening climate change effects are inevitable, even if all CO2 emissions ceased today, because of the lag-effects of the greenhouse gasses already emitted.

It’s up to all of us, along with our governments, to commit to targets to reduce emissions at the earliest opportunity if, we want to slow the pace of climate change and give clownfishes and other species a chance to survive.

If you are a reefkeeper, try to raise awareness of the destructive affects of climate change to the marine environment by using the familiar clownfish as an example of what may be lost.

You can download the IUCN report here: Species and Climate Change

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

One of the world’s largest coral atolls which, surprisingly, belongs to Britain, may soon become the biggest Marine Protected Area (MPA) on Earth.

A three-month public consultation is underway to persuade the UK government to protect the Chagos Archipelago, a group of 55 tropical British islands, in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

This week the 10,000th person signed up in support of the campaign.

The Chagos Environment Network (CEN) who put forward the proposal to protect the giant reef, which is twice the size of Britain, 544,000 sq km area, and boasts the cleanest seawater ever recorded on Earth.

The Chagos contain some of the world’s healthiest coral reefs and the world’s largest surviving coral atoll. It is home to over 220 coral species and 1000 fish species, including the endemic Chagos clownfish, Amphiprion chagosensis.

The pollutant levels in Chagos waters are exceptionally low. Analyses in 1996 suggested that the marine environment of the Chagos Archipelago as a whole is exceptionally pristine, and that it was the cleanest water tested in the world at that time.

In addition the Chagos is a breeding ground and refuge for important populations of sharks, dolphins, marine turtles, and other vulnerable marine and island species.

The area includes deep-sea habitats including 6000 m deep trenches, oceanic ridges, and seamounts, each harbouring specially adapted species. Despite a Fisheries Conservation Management Zone with commercial catches limited by licence, legal and illegal fishing has impacted the area. Sharks, sea cucumbers, turtles, and fish are all known to have declined as a result of illegal fishing and the by-catch from legal fishing. Protecting this area would contribute to a richer Indian Ocean, benefiting people living in and around it

This is one of the best quality reefs remaining on the planet and, from a reef science perspective, it provides a good comparison to reefs damaged by climate change, rising sea temperatures, and other anthropogenic factors. The Chagos Archipelago is an area comparable in importance to better known areas such as the Galapagos or the Great Barrier Reef.

The Chagos Environment Network (CEN) is a collaboration of nine conservation and scientific organisations: The Chagos Conservation Trust, The Linnean Society of London, The Marine Conservation Society, The Pew Environment Group, The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, The Royal Society, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Zoological Society of London, and Professor Charles Sheppard of Warwick University.

The consultation, ends on 12th February, and examines three options for protection:

• A full, no-take, marine reserve for the entire territory.
• A marine reserve of the same size that allows some seasonal deep-sea fishing in certain zones.
• No-take reserves protecting only the vulnerable reef systems.

The Moral Dilemma.

Unfortunately creating this MPA is not as straightforward as might be hoped, owing to the ongoing court case brought by relocated Chagossians at the European Court of Human Rights, which is expected to be decided later this year.

Between 1967 and 1971 the entire population of the Chagos islands, numbering around 2,000 people, was evicted from the archipelago to make way for the Diego Garcia military base. The islanders were forcibly relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles, where many have lived in poverty ever since.

In 2008 the islanders lost a long-running battle with the British government when the House of Lords, the final court of appeal in the UK, overturned High Court rulings that had repeatedly found in favour of the Chagossians. Whereas the High Court found that the Chagossians, as British dependent Citizens, had been unlawfully dispossessed and ordered that they be allowed to return to their home, the House of Lords overturned this ruling in favour of the British government.

The Guardian, a UK newspaper, recently reported that Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour MP chairing the all-party parliamentary group for the Chagos islands, said he was “concerned” that the marine protection consultation had not sought the views of exiled islanders. “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is completely at variance with UK marine conservation policy that seeks to involve the local community,” he said.

Corbyn also said there was concern among Chagos island groups over media reports that portrayed their return as a negative for the environment, that would mean the construction of an airport and town and increasing tourism.

“You will get a small number of people living [in the Chagos] who will support sustainable fishing and ecotourism. If the ‘ultras’ in the marine reserve brigade get their way they will have to have people there to protect the environment. It’s extraordinary that islanders are not trusted but the marine community is. Wealthy people land there in yachts and stay on the islands all time. They are trusted but the islanders are not. I find it patronising and extraordinary.”

It’s Your Decision.

This is not a simple clear-cut subject. As a marine aquarist I’m in favour of the MPA, given the deteriorating state of reefs around the world conserving the Chagos would be a great step forward. I’m particularly interested in the idea that it could be used as a comparative instrument against which the health of other reefs could be measured.

I do however have sympathy with the Chagossians, who I believe have been badly mistreated by the British Government, I also find myself a little uneasy with the idea of an area where access might be restricted to scientists alone. Everywhere else in the world, wherever reef conservation is carried, out it’s considered good practice to get local people involved as much as possible.

There is an alternative to just signing up to the www.protectchagos.org proposal, if you go to http://www.marineeducationtrust.org/petition/protect-chagos you’ll find a petition organised by the Marine Education Trust that is in favour of the MPA, urging the Foreign Secretary to work with the Chagos islanders and the Government of Mauritius to devise an MPA solution that makes provision for resettlement and that protects Mauritius’ legitimate interests.

To find out more about the various issues, in addition to the previously mentioned links, take a look at the following:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagos
• www.chagos-trust.org
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/27/gordon-brown-britain-great-barrier-reef

Also take a look at, “Stealing a Nation”, the John Pilger documentary, winner of the 2005 Royal Television Society Award, that tells the story of the expulsion of the entire population of the Chagos islands.

If you do decide that you’d like to add your support to the proposed MPA, visit: http://www.marineeducationtrust.org/petition/protect-chagos or  www.protectchagos.org, according to your conscience, before the February 12th 2010 deadline, to register your support for the creation of a Chagos no-take Marine Protected Area.

By the way, my conscience moved to me to sign the Marine Education Trust petition.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010