E-Current
December 2012		 In this Issue:
Would You Like $50,000? • Leading the Charge on Sustainable Financing •
Fifty Reasons to Celebrate in Hawaii • Federal Protections for Coral Species?
Featured Location: Fiji
New Fiji Dive Tags
2013 Namena dive tag Each year, CORAL’s Fiji team helps to select a new charismatic image to grace the front of the Namena Marine Reserve dive tag. We’re proud to announce that the 2013 dive tag winning image has been chosen—and it’s an adorable midas blenny (Ecsenius midas), captured in Fiji by longtime CORAL photo contributor Paddy Ryan.

Funds raised from Namena’s dive tag program help offset revenue lost by the community when it decided to ban commercial fishing in 1997 and focus on ensuring a sustainable natural resource that would benefit future generations. Since CORAL helped to revise the program back in 2006, the Kubulau Resource Management Committee—the local body responsible for managing the reserve—has distributed over a hundred and fifty scholarships to local youth and covered many of the direct reserve management costs from dive tag proceeds.
Learn more about our projects in Fiji »   

>Help the Reefs Quick Tip
One easy way to reduce your environmental footprint this holiday season? Use old maps, last year's calendar (yes, even your 2012 CORAL one), fabric, or other recycled or reusable alternative to wrap your gifts. Check out this oldie-but-goodie article on Treehugger.com for more creative ideas.

Coral Reefs in the News

Toronto Shark Ban Ruling Could Open Gates for Legal Fights in Other Municipalities
Source: The Toronto Star

Ship Illegally Dumped Garbage on Reef
Source: Brisbane Times

Pesticide is Killing Barrier Reef — WWF
Source: Sky News Australia

EU Ends Shark Finning
Source: Discovery News

Coral Reefs Begin to Recover in the Maldives
Source: Minivan News

More News...


Masked Butterflyfish
 
Would You Like $50,000?
We would! Fifty thousand dollars would make a huge impact to our efforts to protect the reefs within the Namena Marine Reserve in Fiji—and you can make sure we get it! The Tiffany & Co. Foundation has made a significant investment in our oldest project site, and in return, has asked that we match that amount—$50,000—from supporters like you. Please help us ensure durable protections for one of the most beautiful coral reefs on Earth.
Make a gift today! »


WildAid Leading the Charge on Sustainable Financing
At a recent conference hosted by our partner WildAid, CORAL’s Rick MacPherson and Jason Vasques brought together some of the world’s premiere experts in financing marine conservation to share advice and tools with other participants. During a breakout session after the panel discussion, groups strategized how to better assess success of sustainable financing programs on a global basis. We hope this is the beginning of more conversations around this incredibly important issue.
Learn more about the conference »
 
 
Respecting Coral Reefs sign Fifty Reasons to Celebrate in Hawaii
In October, the Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District on the North Shore of Oahu welcomed the 49th and 50th Respecting Coral Reefs signs in Hawaii. These educational tools developed by CORAL and our partners have helped to positively influence behavior of ocean-goers and minimize inadvertent damage to coral reefs throughout the state. If you're in Hawaii and you see one of our signs, ask someone to take a picture of you with it. We'd love to see you!
See a list of current sign locations »
 
 
Thailand reef Federal Protections for Coral Species
Last week, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service proposed listing sixty-six species of reef-building coral under the Endangered Species Act. Before the proposed listing is finalized, however, there will be a ninety-day public comment period. We hope that you make your voice heard as an advocate for these environmentally and economically valuable species online or during regional public meetings.
Learn more about the listing and how to comment on the proposal »

 

* Photo Credits and Notes:
Banner Photo: Bluestripe snapper (Lutjanus kasmira), Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Photographer: Dennis Liberson
Large Center Photo: Masked butterflyfish (Chaetodon semilarvatus), Red Sea
Photographer: Lyubomir Klissurov
Left Side Photo: Midas blenny (Ecsenius midas)
Photographer: Paddy Ryan/CORAL staff
Thumbnails: 1) Courtesy of WildAid; 2) CORAL staff; and 3) Douglas Richardson