Where most are concerned, it just makes good business sense. People who enter the hobby are naturally inclined to want to conserve wild populations of the marine life they love. The practice also ensures the health of the hobby and availability of specimens for future generations.

“[Fragging] is cutting or breaking off a fragment of the coral and mounting it on a piece of rock or something – to grow a new colony,” said Jeff Sharp, Livestock Manager of Captive Oceans in Terre Haute, Ind. “That way you can perpetuate a colony indefinitely – never having to harvest from the wild again.”
 
Demand for corals, coupled with advances in technology, have resulted in a tremendous serge in the number of large and small scale coral propagation.

“Back in the 70s you would hardly be able to keep a piece of coral alive in captivity at all, just because of the lack of knowledge and lack of equipment,” Sharp said. “Today, with all the equipment and general knowledge people have gained, it’s a lot easier.”

Though the investment in your store’s real estate and the resources needed to keep and maintain propagation tanks can be significant, the big picture benefits are convincing.

“It’s helping save a lot of wild colonies from collectors and hobbyists,” Sharp said. “It has made [coral] easier and more available to the hobbyists. It’s more reliable. You get more healthy corals suitable for keeping in captivity.”

Better public education of introducing wild-harvested species to established tanks has reinforced the public’s desire for captive-raised corals.

“The reef aquarium industry has been steadily increasing in the demand for captive-raised corals as more hobbyists are becoming educated on the benefits and lower risks of propagated species,” said Joseph McClure, Webmaster of www.fragoutpost.com – an Internet source of information on fragging practices. <HOME>