POACHERS POISONING SHRIMP OFF MEXICO

AP-June 19, 1997-Mexico City - Unregistered fishers are using poison to catch shrimp off the Pacific coast of Nayarit state, an environmental official said.
As many as 5,000 poachers are violating seasonal bans and illegally using a mixture of cyanide, fish food and soybean milk to attract and stun shrimp, state official Fernando Sánchez told the government news agency Notimex Wednesday.
That mixture causes long-term damage to lagoons and estuaries where shrimp breed, he said. The Environmental Secretariat has two inspectors to patrol a 400-mile stretch of coastline where poaching is a problem, he told Notimex.
You can Help REEF RELIEF Protect our oceans by: Contacting your elected officials.

Help REEF RELIEF protect out oceans. I want to help save our oceans!

For more information, contact:

REEF RELIEF, P.O. Box 430, Key West, FL 33040 USA
Tel: (305)294-3100 ¦ Fax: (303)293-9515 ¦: Email: reef@bellsouth.net

HELP SAVE THE VANISHING SEA-HORSE

Sea-Horse populations in the wild could vanish if they continue to be exploited for traditional Chinese medicines, the aquarium trade, and as tourist curios. Countless sea-horses are also lost every year with the destruction of their coral reef, sea grass, and mangrove habitats.

More than 20 million sea horses are collected each year causing some sea-horse populations to crash by 50% over the last five years. These and other results from the first major study of the international trade in sea-horses releases by TRAFFIC, a global wildlife trade monitoring group, suggest that many of the approximately 35 species of sea-horses may soon be endangered. According to Amanda Vincent, an Oxford University zoologist and author of the TRAFFIC study, "Populations of sea-horses are collapsing. The volume of sea-horses traded appears sufficient to threaten wild populations globally".

The fascinating sea-horse belong to the same family as pipefishes and sea dragons and are believed to have evolved over 40 million years ago. Sea-horses exhibit seemingly bizarre reproductive behavior. When they reproduce, the male becomes pregnant-carrying the fertilized eggs in a brood pouch and nourishing the young until they are born. Sea-horses practice faithful monogamy, mating exclusively with the same partner during their lifetime. They perform greeting dances every morning to confirm their bond and are slow to find a new mate if their partner disappears or dies. Unfortunately, the sea-horse's unusual reproductive behavior makes them very vulnerable to over fishing. Sea-horses have low reproductive rates and their populations are easily disrupted.

Worldwide there is a huge demand for sea-horses for traditional Chinese medicine and the aquarium trade. Sea-horses are considered a powerful aphrodisiac and are used to treat an array of ailments including asthma, impotence, infertility, throat infections and lethargy. China alone consumes over 6 million sea horses annually, at prices up to $1,200 per kilogram (2.2 lbs).

You can help REEF RELIEF protect the sea-horses by: Not buying sea-horse curios or live sea-horses for an aquarium pet.

Report any sea-horse trade or live sea-horses you notice to:

           Dr. Amanda Vincent, Department of Biology, McGill University,  
                1205 Avenue Dr., Penfield, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada
                Tel: 1(514)398-6455/5112 Fax: 1(514)398-5069
                email: amanda_vincent@maclan.mcgill.ca

Help REEF RELIEF protect coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grasses- the home of sea-horses and other invaluable plants and animals. I want to help save the Sea-Horses!

For more information, contact:

REEF RELIEF, P.O. Box 430, Key West, FL 33041, USA
Tel: (305)294-3100 ¦ Fax: (305)293-9515 ¦ Email: reef@bellsouth.net