2026-02-11
An unseen threat to coral reef biodiversity: the international trade of live corals for the aquarium industry as reflected by CITES records (1990–2021)
Publication
Publication
Ocean & Coastal Management , Volume 276 - Issue 108111
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has been keeping annual trade records of live stony corals (Scleractinia) since 1990. On a global scale, CITES data can be used as indicators for trends in the popularity of particular species. A maximum global trade record of 3.1‧106 wild-caught corals was reported for the year 2007, which declined to less than 50% (1.4‧106) in 2021. Indonesia was the leading exporting country until 2018, being replaced by Fiji in 1996–1998 and 2000–2001. Australia has been the dominant exporter of wild-sourced corals since 2018, which was facilitated by Indonesia's declining export quotas and by temporary export bans by Indonesia and Fiji. Indonesia has been the main exporter of cultivated corals since 2005 with an annual global trade record of nearly 0.6‧106 specimens for 2017. The USA always had the highest import records. Acropora, consisting of branched colonies with small polyps, was the most-traded coral genus worldwide (3.4‧109 specimens from 1990 to 2021). Corals with large fleshy polyps, such as Trachyphyllia geoffroyi (1.5‧106 specimens), Catalaphyllia jardinae (1.0‧106), Euphyllia glabresens (0.9‧106), Fimbriaphyllia ancora (0.7‧106), and Heliofungia actiniformis (0.7‧106) were the most-traded species in that period. Harvesting of corals rich in associated fauna may affect coral reef diversity at a larger scale, particularly if these corals are inhabited by host specialists. Since not much research has been done on the impact of selective fisheries on wild coral populations, there is a risk of overfishing popular species, especially those that are not much cultivated. Therefore, better monitoring of coral harvesting is needed and coral cultivation should be stimulated. Stricter trade quotas and bans may be needed as precautionary measures to counteract negative impacts of coral fisheries on reef biodiversity.
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| doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2026.108111 | |
| Ocean & Coastal Management | |
| Released under the CC-BY 4.0 (“Attribution 4.0 International”) License | |
| Organisation | Staff publications |
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Hoeksema, B. (2026). An unseen threat to coral reef biodiversity: the international trade of live corals for the aquarium industry as reflected by CITES records (1990–2021). Ocean & Coastal Management, 276(108111). doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2026.108111 |
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