Published on Coral Reef Alliance (http://www.coral.org)
January 2013 E-Current

Reef Scene, Fiji [1]
E-Current
January 2013		 In this Issue: Photo Contest Winner Announced [2] • New Hope for Sharks [3] •
12-12-12 [4] • All We Wanted for Christmas [5]
Featured Location: Indonesia [6]
Protecting Reefs—One Beauty Contestant at a Time
[7]
In November, Coral Triangle Field Manager Nan Setiasih found herself in a unique position—as a judge at the Miss Scuba International contest.

Why? And what do beauty pageants have to do with coral reefs? Well, contestants were judged not only on their physical beauty, but also on their understanding of and commitment to marine conservation issues.

In addition to judging, Nan and some of her colleagues from WWF were asked to share their experiences and challenges advancing marine conservation issues around the world. As part of her presentation, she showed Our Land of Water: Sharks, Guardians of Our Sea (the film which was a collaborative project of the Save Our Seas Foundation, CORAL, Shark Savers, and the government of Raja Ampat) to teach about shark conservation and provide an example of what young people around the world—particularly in Indonesia—are doing to help these amazing creatures and the reefs they call home.
Learn more about the contest and our work in Indonesia » [8]

 

 

>   Help the Reefs Quick Tip [9]
There is still time to comment on the recent proposal by NOAA to list 66 species of corals under the Endangered Species Act.
Learn more and act now! » [10]


Coral Reefs in the News [11]

China Boom Savages Coral Reefs, Study Finds [12]
Source: Phys.org

Judge Refuses to Block Shark Fin Ban [13]
Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Great Barrier Reef Corals Found at 'Mind-Blowing' 410 Feet Deep [14]
Source: NBC News

Researchers Find Injured Coral Have Less Sex; 'They Don't Necessarily Look Damaged' [15]
Source: Underwater Times

Kiwi Man Helps Create Huge Shark Sanctuary [16]
Source: The New Zealand Herald

More News... [17]


Raja Ampat reef scene [18]

Photo Contest Winner Announced! [19]
Congratulations to John Woolley of Olympia, Washington, the winner of our first photo contest of the year! His photo was taken in one of our own project sites, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, an archipelago with reefs boasting some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet. John's stunning wide-angle shot, teeming with staghorn coral (Acropora sp.) and a variety of fish (mostly Chromis damselfish), illustrates why we've made these islands a focus of our work.
Download the photo » [20]

Been diving lately? Have you taken a great coral reef photo? We'd love to see it, and we're accepting submissions for our March contest through February 15.
About the E-Current photo contest » [21]

 

You Did It! » [22]
Thanks to the support of nearly 500 CORAL donors, we reached our $50,000 year-end challenge goal with time to spare! But we have until the January 11th deadline to report our results to The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and we’d love to show this funder how committed our community really is (very!). Please join this successful campaign by making a gift [23] before Friday.

 

Silvertip sharks [24]

 New Hope for Sharks [25]
December brought some very good news for sharks: the largest shark sanctuary to date. French Polynesia and the nearby Cook Islands each declared their waters protected zones for sharks, together creating a sanctuary spanning 2.5 million square miles. Sharks play a critical role in maintaining coral reef ecosystem balance, but their populations have been decreasing worldwide as a result of overfishing. In 2011, CORAL dove into shark conservation in Fiji and Indonesia, where we continue to work with regional and national government officials and local community groups to establish protections for these apex predators.
Read about the sanctuary » [26]
   
 

Fiji shark workshop [27]

 12-12-12 [28]
Many considered that date lucky simply because of the repetitive numbers—we at CORAL believe that date was especially lucky since it moved us one step closer to comprehensive shark protections in Fiji. On December 12, we hosted a workshop on shark management in Fiji, designed to introduce shark fin identification tools, improve awareness of shark conservation measures, and reignite action among officials drafting the National Plan of Action on Sharks in Fiji. Attended by fisheries officers and other government agents, as well as NGO partners, the workshop was very well received and has already led to invitations for us to speak at upcoming provincial meetings about what local communities can do to protect their inshore shark populations.
Learn more about our shark conservation initiatives » [29]
   

CORAL Facebook [30]

 All We Wanted for Christmas . . . [31]
On December 23 at 11:20 pm (PST), we reached an important milestone in our effort to enlist even more advocates for coral reefs—10,000 Facebook fans! Are you on Facebook? If so, have you “liked” CORAL? It’s an easy way to stay up to date with the latest news about coral reefs and how your partnership is helping to advance CORAL’s conservation initiatives.
Visit CORAL’s Facebook page » [32]
   

 

* Photo Credits and Notes:
Banner Photo: Pink skunk anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) over magnificent sea anemone (Heteractis magnifica), Papua New Guinea
Photographer: Douglas Richardson
Large Center Photo: A mixed school comprising mostly damselfishes (Chromis sp.) over a field of Acropora corals, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Photographer: John Woolley
Left Side Photo: Naneng Setiasih her colleagues from WWF with one of the Miss Scuba International contestants
Photographer: Courtesy of Miss Scuba International
Thumbnails: 1) Douglas Richardson; 2) CORAL staff; and 3) Dennis Liberson
 

 

 

 

© 2013 The Coral Reef Alliance 351 California Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA, 1-888-CORAL-REEF info@coral.org
Source URL (retrieved on 06/19/2013 - 20:40): http://www.coral.org/node/6131

Links:
[1] http://www.coral.org
[2] http://www.coral.org/node/6131#story1
[3] http://www.coral.org/node/6131#story2
[4] http://www.coral.org/node/6131#story3
[5] http://www.coral.org/node/6131#story4
[6] http://www.coral.org/where_we_work/asia/pacific/raja_ampat
[7] http://www.coral.org/where_we_work/asia/pacific/raja_ampat
[8] http://saveourseas.com/projects/sharks_for_the_future/sharks_truly_are_beautiful
[9] http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2012/11/82corals.html
[10] http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2012/11/82corals.html
[11] http://coral.org/news/headlines
[12] http://www.coral.org/node/6125
[13] http://www.coral.org/node/6129
[14] http://www.coral.org/node/6127
[15] http://www.coral.org/node/6123
[16] http://www.coral.org/node/6124
[17] http://coral.org/news/headlines
[18] http://www.coral.org/wallpaper
[19] http://www.coral.org/wallpaper
[20] http://www.coral.org/wallpaper
[21] http://www.coral.org/resources/photo_contest
[22] https://coral.secure.force.com/donate
[23] https://coral.secure.force.com/donate
[24] http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/french-polynesia-and-cook-islands-create-sanctuaries-to-protect-sharks/2012/12/14/1685d324-4318-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.html
[25] http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/french-polynesia-and-cook-islands-create-sanctuaries-to-protect-sharks/2012/12/14/1685d324-4318-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.html
[26] http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/french-polynesia-and-cook-islands-create-sanctuaries-to-protect-sharks/2012/12/14/1685d324-4318-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.html
[27] http://www.coral.org/sharks
[28] http://www.coral.org/sharks
[29] http://www.coral.org/sharks
[30] http://www.facebook.com/coralreefalliance
[31] https://www.facebook.com/coralreefalliance
[32] https://www.facebook.com/coralreefalliance