Media Alert, June 12, 2013 Case Before District Court of the United States in San Juan for

the Protection of Caribbean Corals

Caribbean Coral Reefs Dying Due to Global Warming and Local Impacts

WHO: Earthjustice, representing several Caribbean conservation groups, National Marine Fisheries Service, Judge Salvador E. Casellas WHAT: Oral Argument in case of Center for Biological Diversity v. National Marine Fisheries Service WHERE: Room 4, Federal Courthouse, Old San Juan, 300 Calle Recinto Sur, Puerto Rico WHEN: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 10am
BACKGROUND:
Flamenco Beach, Culebra Puerto Rico

The elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) corals were the main reef building corals throughout the Caribbean. Currently both species are dangerously close to extinction, having a population decline of 98% since 1970. Corals suffer from a variety of threats including pollution, global warming and ocean acidification. However, other key
threats to corals include local over-shing of species important to their life cycles.

Visitor removes one of the last small parrot fish from the coral reef.

Since 2006 these corals are protected under the Endangered Species Act as a result of a petition made by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). In 2012 the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed to change the status of these threatened corals to endangered, because of their continuous and dramatic population decline due to unprecedented environmental stress. According to the lawsuit filed in January 2012, the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the Federal Endangered Species by allowing its Caribbean management plan to capture a significant number of parrot fish without adequately considering the impact of that decision on the listed elkhorn and staghorn corals. The fishermen and conservation groups argue that the agency failed to consider their own conclusions, including local management options to prevent over-fishing of the parrot fish, an important reef herbivore that controls algae that can smother corals and block its reproduction. On Wednesday June 12, 2013 Federal Judge Salvador E. Casellas will hold a hearing in the case brought by fishermen and coral farmers from the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico, demanding stricter regulations to protect Caribbean parrot fish populations, and thus also protect corals. According to the lawsuit, the National Fisheries Service violated the Endangered Species Act in concluding that fishing levels allowed for several species of parrot fish would not endanger corals or "adversely modify" (ie, jeopardize the survival or recovery of the species) their critical habitat. Contacts: Mary Ann Lucking, CORALations, 787-556-6234, maryann@coralations.org Andrea Treece, Earthjustice, 415-217-2089 atreece@earthjustice.org Miyoko Sakashita, Center for Biological Diversity, 415-632-5308, miyoko@biologicaldiversity.org