3 coral species proposed for federal protections

The National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing to place three species of coral found in Hawaii under the protection of the federal Endangered Species Act.

"We’re looking to preserve the healthy and vibrant corals those of us have come to appreciate and know," Sam Pooley, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, said at a news conference Friday.

The three coral species are among 66 Pacific and Caribbean coral varieties the agency is seeking to protect. Twelve species would be listed as endangered, and 54, including the three in Hawaii, would be listed as threatened.

Two of the coral species — blue rice coral, Montipora flabellata, and ringed rice coral, Montipora patula — exist only in Hawaii, said Bernardo Vargas-Angel, a coral ecologist at the NOAA science center. Fuzzy table coral, Acropora paniculata, is found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific.

If listed, the corals would be off-limits for collecting, importing or exporting, killing or otherwise harmful activities.

Federal officials could establish similar restrictions for coral designated as threatened. However, the listings would not prohibit activities like fishing or diving near the species, NOAA said.

Pooley said 19 environmental threats have been identified, including rising sea temperatures and levels, ocean acidification, coral disease and land pollution affecting near-shore environments. Vulnerability to these threats helps determine whether a coral should be protected.

While the listing protects an individual coral species, Pooley said, it inherently helps safeguard others as well.

He added that protecting coral could have positive economic impacts for the state, especially because Hawaii’s tourism industry depends on thriving coral and other sea life.

However, more federal regulation could mean local governments would have to jump through hoops if they need permits for certain activities or projects, said Lance Smith, regulatory branch chief and deputy assistant regional administrator at the NOAA center.

The administration will hold six meetings on the proposed designations on five islands in January and February.

The endangered-species listing proposal comes three years after the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition advocating threatened or endangered status for 83 species of coral and asking that the agency identify areas of critical habitat.

NOAA found that 82 species warranted further consideration for listing, and conducted a study resulting in the proposal for 66 to be listed.

Two Caribbean coral species, elkhorn and staghorn coral, are the only two species protected by the act and are being considered for reclassification from threatened to endangered.