While I wouldn't quite consider the corals doomed, they sure didn't have that big a chance. Let me explain.
Corals are tough things to keep, even for people that know what they are doing. There were corals that not too many people had kept, but most likely the people in question did have a lot of experience with similar indo-pacific corals.
How may people here have had problems with things like brown jelly disease in corals, or coral bleaching? Many of us have. Even if everyone did everything right, losses could be expected. In rare cases, the entire lot could be lost.
My point is that what happened to the corals could have occurred even if everyone did everything correctly. There is always that risk factor involved.
What I meant by "doomed" was maybe a little strong choice of wording.
I did mean that they were in jepardy at the facility where the were growing, an a decision was made at some level to try a rescue which in turn failed.
Davek - I would agree if we were talking about corals marked to go to public aquariums and/or research labs. However, much of these corals was destined for restoration... that means they were meant to be placed back on the reef elsewhere in the Keys.
David - I guess I see your point, still, I don't think the corals were taken or cared for as responsibly as they should have been.
I wholly agree with that statement but nothing anyone does now will change that!
In hindsight
Water under the bridge.
Locking the barn after the horse is out.
Its too late to save the corals in question there a currently very many worthy problems in this country and the world to worry about and try and fix.
The fate of our remaining natural reefs for one.
Our time and energy will be better served trying to remedy problems that are happening now!
Speaking of threats of litigation, I have a funny story...
Recently, Mr. Borneman went to the UH *campus* police complaining to them that I was "harassing" him on forums and with my website. Apparently, he was politely told that comments of this nature on public web forums and websites do not constitute harassment and so they wouldn't be filing any charges. But since he apparently made such a fuss about it (and since there was that one PM I probably shouldn't have sent him where I may have teased him a little about his 6th authorship of his first peer-reviewed publication ever), the police officer said she'd ask both of us not to contact each other personally. As if I'd made any substantial effort to contact the man since July of last year... Well, at least the effect worked both ways. Maybe this is why I've been spared the kind of emails Patrick has received.
Of course, I'm not sure anyone explained to Officer Light that I was a bit "provoked" when Mr. Borneman posted on the MARSH forum that I had no experience in science research and failed to recant the comment even after concrete evidence to the contrary was provided. Or, earlier than that, a bit provoked by a disturbing phone call from his sister-in-law apparently in response to some joke I must have made in the Cage over at RM. Not that "provocation" ever excuses the utter lack of tack I've admittedly displayed (on occasion)... but I would think it could at least reduce my charge to "merely human."
And it gets better...
I then get an email from Brian Plankis that since the DIBs website has high school students as members, and in light of this "complaint" made to the UH campus police, he had no choice but to ban me from the DIBs forum. And just to add insult to injury, he told me that if I were ever to mention any of this to anyone, he may have to consider publicizing the complaint. Such class from such a young man, no?
So, now I know what you're all thinking... does this prove that I'm just out for vengeance? Do I really just hate Mr. Borneman? ...is that what this site is really about? And the answer is, yet again and emphatically; NO. This is about a leader of our hobby taking hundreds of pounds of protected Florida corals to a commercial facility, then having them come into jeopardy on his watch. That upsets me more than anything Mr. Borneman could have ever possibly done to me personally. Though honestly, all the above mentioned grief doesn't exactly warm my heart...
Anyway... I didn't really want to bring any of this up, but I figured if I didn't, someone else probably would eventually anyway.
I have to admit that it is quite amusing (and telling) that the mere possibility of Eric showing up to defend himself has one running to the confessional booth. The above cleary defines an agenda and motive which, in my opinion, totaly discredits and calls into question the entire "presentation" in addition to the fact that the information provided remains sketchy, haphazard and just plain old incomplete. As this and other threads throughout the forums progress and get stuck for lack of anything concrete, I see more and more hobbyists starting to realize what I have been trying to point out from the start. Who knows, might the beginning of some common sense and decency be creeping into the picture, along with some obvious revelations.
As for the additional permit provided, I failed to get anything out of that at all. For one, its a totaly blank .doc file that when opened for viewing, also allows anyone to modify it at will. Without dates/signatures and being a finished "product", I just didn't get it at all or saw the point of posting it as documentation. Not that it really matters though, because when we are fed one bit at a time while skipping over the "blanks" and jumping time lines, what else can one do but to note the obvious.
I have to admit that it is quite amusing (and telling) that the mere possibility of Eric showing up to defend himself has one running to the confessional booth.
Confessional booth? Did you even read the post? Mr. Borneman made a BOGUS complaint the UH CAMPUS police in a cowardly, underhanded attempt to shut me up. And you think this puts *my* credibility on the line? Please explain the logic there.
Btw, just for future reference... I have a strict policy of not negotiating "terrorists." I do not respond to threats (either physical, psychological or legal). I do not respond to bogus complaints to campus police, attempts to get me banned from forums or conferences, threats of lawsuits or any other such truly cowardly attempts to censor me. If anything, such ignominious behavior only strengthens my resolve.
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The above cleary defines an agenda and motive which,
If anything, I believe it only shows just how apparently desperate Mr. Borneman is not to have to answer to the questions my website has presented.
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As for the additional permit provided, I failed to get anything out of that at all. For one, its a totaly blank .doc file that when opened for viewing, also allows anyone to modify it at will.
I don't know why or how this happened for you. The link I posted isn't even to a document on my site. It's a link to a document posted on a military webpage. There's no way I (or anyone else except a member of the military, or someone running the military's website) could have altered it.
Real they may be, I never said they were fake but merely incomplete and when taken together, only allows assumptions, which sadly has led to accusations being made. The permit .doc recently posted is nothing at all like the other documents previously posted. I was just saying that the most recent addition is pretty useless as is, just as any blank, unsigned contract would be. Just kind of hard to bind someone to it.
I'm also doing my best right now to not go into a rant about perspectives here, but a man made canal in the United States that will be dredged on a regular basis verses Indo-Pacific natural reefs being emptied of thousands upon thousands of corals and fish on a daily basis for our hobby just seems a bit out of whack to me. If taken in that perspective, how can one claim a great love for corals and reefs and not appear to be simply on a mission of revenge and self glory? I don't know, maybe I see the destruction of reefs far to often and for far too many reasons, to get upset about a few corals that found themselves growing in/on man made structures. How many corals and coral larvae get blast cleaned off of oil rigs, ships and pipes each year? How many corals have each of us killed off? How many corals does that add up to each year? Sorry, but I just find it very difficult to find actual cause for the war drums to be beaten upon. Well, so much for avoiding a rant....lol
I was just saying that the most recent addition is pretty useless as is, just as any blank, unsigned contract would be. Just kind of hard to bind someone to it.
Again, I don't know why you're getting this. Everyone else I know who has clicked on the link to the military web page has gotten something very different.
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Sorry, but I just find it very difficult to find actual cause for the war drums to be beaten upon. Well, so much for avoiding a rant....lol
All those things you mention are quite terrible. However, as far as I know, none of them were done by a leader of our hobby.
Well, at least the effect worked both ways. Maybe this is why I've been spared the kind of emails Patrick has received. 
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