What's the mechanism for this? I am familiar with the conservation efforts of many hunting organizations and of course the money that is dedicated to wildlife and land conservation from hunting licenses and the Pittman-Robertson excise taxes. But I don't know of any similar thing from private aquarists.Just remember it's the marine ornamental reef keeping hobby that is the funding, the R&D and science behind reef restoration.
I am aware of reef restoration projects funded by universities, public aquariums, and various foreign NGOs. And there is Florida's Coral Reef Foundation, but only about 20% of their income came from individual donations according to their last annual report.
Agreed. Expensive and time-consuming if done at any scale. My point was that if all you need to feel free to collect wild specimens is a basic saltwater setup, that can be done for a couple hundred dollars.That said, I do agree there needs to be regulations and enforcement, especially in the Indo-Pacific. One thing I don't agree with is the notion it's a cheap hobby anyone can get into. It is one of the more expensive hobbies and the cost continues to skyrocket.