I have already email PIJAC, my MLA and all the Senators from Saskatchewan asking them what their stance is and what they are doing about it. I will be donating to PIJAC if they respond to my email. Honestly there are good amount of hobbyists that won't flinch to spend $250 on a coral, so you shouldn't flinch to donate the same amount to PIJAC as they are the ones who will be lobbying government on our behalf.
Here is the email I sent.
Hello Mrs. ???,
I am a reef aquarium hobbyist that is very concerned about the current upgraded NOAA list of Corals listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This list is a slippery slope and is poised to severely cripple the marine aquarium trade and all the business that goes along with it.
I understand how our hobby can have a negative effect on the reefs of the world but we are hardly the biggest offender! Drag net & dynamite fishing, tanker bilge dumping, cruise ship/tourist anchoring, agricultural run-off, mining the reefs for cement materials, etc. are all much worse than coral collection for the aquarium trade. In the past all sorts of aquarium collection techniques (fish & coral) were harmful to the environment. Cyanide fish collecting and the destruction of the reefs for live rocks collection have for the most part been eradicated from our hobby due to the concerns of the hobbyists themselves speaking through their actions. It’s a new era of sustainable, educated collection! Mari-cultured corals, tank propagated corals, hobbyist funded ocean research, and some fish breeding programs are all thanks to the passion of hobbyists. I have a tough time accepting that legally collected corals can be made illegal to trade from one hobbyist tank to another.
Environment Canada implements CITES on behalf of the federal government, and the Canadian Wildlife Services administers CITES. Please let me know if your office can or is interested in lobbying against this change in legislature.
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