Confiscated corals from JFK Airport get new life at New York Aquarium
BROOKLYN, New York (WABC) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confiscated sea corals that were illegally shipped to the United States through JFK airport and are now being rehabilitated in New York City.
Now, they're in the care at the New York Aquarium for their propagation program.
The corals had to be confiscated because bringing them into the country is in violation of the Convention International Treaty in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the Endangered Species Act.
The species include Goniopora, Acropora, Lobophyllia, Alveopora, and Euphyllia, among others.
The corals will eventually be placed in the aquarium's public reef exhibits.
The aquarium hopes that it helps visitors better understand coral ecosystems and the threats they face-from climate change and ocean acidification to overharvesting and illegal trade.
For Aaron Brett, a marine biologist from South Africa, who's been at the aquarium for 7 years, he says this is the coolest thing he's seen and it's not every day you get to be a hero saving coral.
"Corals are animals, and they're vital to the health of our oceans," said Aaron Brett, coral expert at the New York Aquarium. "Unfortunately, these corals confiscated by the USFWS spent five days in transit before arriving here, which is a major stressor. But remarkably, the majority of the shipment is recovering well."
Coral can live hundreds even thousands of years and are the longest living animals on earth. But they're also endangered and vulnerable which is why NY Aquarium stepped in to save them.
There were some 200 pieces in the shipment seized as contraband at JFK from Indonesia and wrapped up in plastic bags in dirty water. While most survived, 30 arrived dead.
Brett and the people at the Aquarium saved 85 percent of them.
"They've grown a little bit since they've been here. Their colors have changed significantly since we got them. I think there was a lot of stress," Brett said.
For two months, New York aquarium has been taking care of them in 75 degree water and feeding them plankton and algae.
Each one of the little bioluminescent coral could go for about $400 in a pet store, only to end up in someone's fish tank.
That's probably where they were headed, but whoever shipped the coral didn't have the right permits or follow procedures, so authorities took them.
"Living corals are extremely vulnerable and a hot topic at the moment you know there's a lot going on with climate change," Brett said.
The 170 surviving coral will continue to thrive and by next month are expected to be on display in the tanks at the aquarium.
The New York Aquarium is a leader in this work, which contributes valuable techniques to reef conservation efforts around the world.
"This is delicate, hands-on work," said aquarist Camilla Piechocki. "We monitor water chemistry, slowly reintroduce lighting, and mimic reef conditions to help them thrive. These animals are resilient, but the transition from illegal shipment to thriving exhibit is a complex process."
According to the Aquarium, coral reefs support roughly a billion people worldwide and provide habitat for about 25% of all marine life.
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