News Release

Windsor Resident Convicted for Unlawfully Importing Coral

WINDSOR, Ontario,June 15, 2007 - Christopher Donald Dunn of Windsor, Ontario was convicted today in the Ontario Court of Justice, Provincial Division, for unlawfully importing live coral into Canada from the U.S without a permit.  Mr. Dunn was fined $615 and ordered to forfeit all Stony Corals seized from him at the Windsor border crossing.

Mr. Dunn was charged by federal wildlife officers with offences under Canada's endangered species legislation, the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). This followed his attempt to enter Canada via the Ambassador Bridge with 38 live coral in his vehicle. These specimens had an estimated value of $2,500.  

Thirty-two of the 38 coral were Stony Corals, listed as an endangered species under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). They are also protected under WAPPRIITA and its regulations. The defendant violated several U.S. laws and failed to obtain the required permits prior to re-entering Canada with the 38 coral.

Coral reefs support a lucrative tourism industry, protect coastal areas from storms and contribute to the economies of many developing nations around the world. Each year, reefs provide humans with resources and services worth billions of dollars. The global market for reef resources include the aquarium, curio, and jewellery trades; the seafood and live fish industry; and pharmaceutical and research companies.

The illegal international trade in corals contributes to the decline and degradation of reefs. Human activities have put some 58 per cent of the world's coral reefs at risk. Many have been damaged beyond recovery.

Environment Canada is the lead agency responsible for implementing CITES on behalf of the Government of Canada.  CITES sets controls, through a permit system, on the international trade and movement of animal and plant species that are endangered, or have been, or may be, threatened due to excessive commercial exploitation.

For more information, please contact:

Gary Colgan
Director
Wildlife Enforcement Division
Environment Canada
(905) 319-6960

Jack Saunders
Communications Advisor/Media Relations
Environment Canada - Ontario
(416) 739-4785