I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4928
To prohibit the import, export, and take of certain coral reef species, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2004
Mr. CASE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means and 
International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To prohibit the import, export, and take of certain coral 
reef species, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coral Reef Conserva-
tion and Protection Act of 2004’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems are 
the marine equivalent of tropical rain forests, con-
taining some of the richest biological diversity, habi-
tats, and systems on Earth and supporting thou-
sands of fish, invertebrates, algae, plankton, sea 
grasses, and other species. 
(2) Coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems have 
great commercial, recreational, cultural, and aes-
thetic value to human communities as shoreline pro-
tection, areas of natural beauty, and sources of food, 
jobs, and pharmaceuticals, and are the focus of a 
wide variety of activities, including education, re-
search, recreation, tourism, and fishing. 
(3) Studies indicate that coral reef ecosystems 
in the United States and around the world are being 
degraded and severely threatened by human activi-
ties including land-based pollution, overfishing, de-
structive fishing practices, coastal development, ves-
sel groundings, and climate change. 
(4) Executive Order 13089 created the United 
States Coral Reef Task Force, which is chaired by 
the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Commerce, to develop measures necessary to reduce 
and mitigate coral reef ecosystem degradation and to 
restore damaged coral reefs, assess the United 
States’ role in international trade and protection of 
coral reef species, and implement appropriate strate-
gies and actions to promote conservation and sus-
tainable use of coral reef resources. 
(5) International trade in coral, other reef in-
vertebrates, reef fish, live rock, and other coral prod-
ucts contributes to the decline and degradation of 
reefs, primarily through the use of destructive collec-
tion practices, overexploitation of resources, loss of 
reef habitat, and introduction of non-indigenous spe-
cies, invasive species, and pathogens. 
(6) The United States is the largest importer of 
live coral, live rock, and marine fish for the aquar-
ium trade and of coral skeletons and precious corals 
for souvenirs and jewelry. 
(7) The harvest of live coral and wild live rock 
is of special concern because it removes essential 
components of reef habitats, increases erosion, and 
damages critical fisheries habitats. 
(8) More than half of the fish imported into the 
United States for the marine aquarium market are 
estimated to be captured with the use of cyanide and 
other poisons which kill other coral reef species and 
the corals that form the reef framework, and these 
destructive fishing practices are becoming increas-
ingly common in other countries to meet the growing
worldwide demand for ornamental fish and live food 
fish. 
(9) As many as 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 of the aquarium fish 
imported from Southeast Asia die shortly after arriv-
ing in the United States due to stress associated 
with handling and transport and the use of cyanide 
during capture, and such high mortality rates lead 
to continued pressure for extraction from the wild to 
maintain public and private collections. 
(10) The United States, as the world’s largest 
importer of coral reef species and products and as 
a party to the Convention on the International 
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and 
Flora (CITES), should play a substantial role in 
conserving and restoring coral reef ecosystems, in-
cluding assisting other countries in developing and 
implementing coral reef conservation programs and 
ensuring that the market in the United States for 
coral reef species and products does not contribute 
to the detriment of the survival of the species in the 
wild or to the detriment of coral reef ecosystems. 
(11) The United States should also exercise 
leadership in moving from a species-based sustain-
able management approach to an ecosystem-based 
approach.