Digital-Reefs – news, info and entertainment for reef enthusiasts in the UK… and beyond!

Calling all UK reefers! The Coral Aquarist Research Network (CARN), the University of Essex and MarineMad Limited are holding a big reefkeepers event on the 26th May at The Zoological Society of London. With doors opening at 1000am the event runs from 1045am to approximately 3pm and is free to attend with lunch, coffee and refreshments provided.

The purpose of the event is to launch ‘The Big UK Experiment’ which will involve reefkeepers becoming part of the research team at the University of Essex by allowing data acquired from their own reef tanks to be used in the research projects run here at the university. Participants will be kept involved with the outcomes of the research and be named on any academic papers written based on these experiments and develop some key skills in research development, methodologies, reporting, and organisational and communication skills etc. As a bit of background, the Coral Aquarist Research Network (CARN) was launched in October 2009. The network was set-up to promote greater links, collaborations, communication and engagement between coral reef researchers and industry, with the primary focus being to involve the reefkeeping community in the research being undertaken within the UK. This workshop is being run with this in mind, to encourage reefkeepers to engage with and become involved in the first experiment of this kind.

This experiment is going live on the 26th May with academics, industry, Government, and of course a multitude of reefkeepers being present in the 150-capacity venue at the Zoological Society of London. The day will include presentations from some of the top academics in coral reef studies, conservation managers at ZSL and representatives from one of the largest Government Funded aquariums in the UK. The official launch of ‘The Big UK Experiment’ will then take place followed by refreshments, a tour of the zoo (by donation) and the close of the workshop.

If you can make it along to this event, we seriously recommend you attend as this looks like a great way to get to participate in a really positive initiative that has numerous potential benefits (please contact Philippa Mansell at: pippa@carnuk.org if you wish to attend).

Stated to have a market value of more than £56,000 the shipment had apparently arrived from Singapore, but had originated from Vietnam. It is believed to have contained numerous CITES protected species, none of which were declared or had correct documentation.

Although a 23 year old man from Greater Manchester was arrested and later released on bail, rumours are circulating as to the buyer. We believe the surviving stock has been transported to the Blue Planet Aquarium at Cheshire Oaks…. we’ll bring you more details as soon as we find out.

Drawing on the expertise of both academic organisations and industry experts in several countries, a recent study has examined marine livestock imports and revealed the complex issues surrounding the collection of reliable information (seen to be critical for the creation and management of a sustainable aquatics industry).

With ornamental Polychaete worms as the subject of the study, a variety of techniques were used to create as accurate a picture as possible of the exact numbers and species entering the UK trade. Working closely with the primary importer (TMC), it was found that previous estimates are likely to have been far underestimated and as such, the study has interesting and potentially far reaching implications for the hobby.

The SAIA conclude that future management is likely to be more effective if it is community based and ‘site-specific’ with financial and educational support from NGOs, local governments and industry members.

Click HERE for the full report.

In light of concerns over the long-term effects of the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill, the US National Marine Fisheries Service recently agreed to conduct a year-long study to decide whether the Dwarf Seahorse Hippocampus zosterae should have it’s current classification upgraded, and be protected as an endangered species in US waters.

This tiny species (growing to just 51mm long) is a non-migratory resident of seagrass beds in the Gulf of Mexico and its international trade is already monitored by CITES. It is highly site-specific and therefore vulnerable to habitat loss. With Florida waters losing more than half their seagrasses since 1950, the oil spill obviously represents a serious threat to wild populations of this slow moving, delicate organism.

Some reports coming from the area however seem to suggest that the cessation of fishing that resulted from the spill could actually be resulting in greater numbers of certain species. Whether this applies to H. zosterae remains to be seen.