During the past 10 years, with all the clamor over the rising global thermostat, many tangential environmental issues have also been at the top of the news wires and Internet blogs. Things like the worldwide decline of amphibians, tropical rain forest deforestation, oil dependency and alternative fuels and, yes, the worldwide plight of coral reefs. The decline of wild corals has been fodder for many articles as well as lectures at marine aquarium conferences the last few years.

But now’s not the time to fold our collective hands and give up while the oceans become lifeless dead zones. As marine aquarists, you have the knowledge, the passion and drive to make a positive and long-lasting impact. And here’s how: 2008 has been designated the “International Year of the Reef,” which will be an all-year campaign of events and initiatives hosted by governments and private organizations worldwide. To find out what is happening and when stateside, and how you can participate, visit www.iyor.org.

There are also plenty of articles in this 2008 issue of Marine Fish and Reef that offer up tips, bits of wisdom, advice and even strong admonitions to hobbyists about what they can do as individuals and collectively to make this a better world for corals and marine fish and invertebrates.

Here’s just a few things you can do based on the articles contained within these pages to ease pressure on the marine environment:

• Try your hand at sexually propagating corals and report your results to the reef-keeping community.
• Frag corals and trade or sell them to other hobbyists.
• Never keep a pinnatus batfish, and if a local fish store is selling them, let them know that you won’t do business with them until they stop selling these almost-impossible-to-keep fish.
• Set up an alternative marine system like a sea grass tank. Finally, if you have a good idea that might make a positive difference to the marine environment, don’t hesitate to share it.