The Coral Reef Alliance is one of the largest and best coral
conservation organization on the planet (site: http://www.coral.org/
- it has a good links page also :http://www.coral.org/links.html), and
is not "fanatical".  I do not know, however, what would be considered
fanatical in the coral-protection business: since dead coral is not
attractive, all coral sold is broken from live reefs, so what is
fanatical about calling for an end to the coral trade completely?? I
guess it would be fanatical to call for a complete shut-down of
land-based activities which cause siltation or other harm to reefs,
but to try to get people to become more aware that a wide range of
man's activities are destroying the reefs of the world, and to take
this into account in farming, forestry, and industrial activities, is
most certainly quite reasonable.
        This and most other marine-conservation topics are CERTAINLY related
to shells, by the way, since molluscs, who produce the shells for us,
are the second-most numerous phylum of marine organisms, and *any*
threat to a marine habitat also puts molluscan populations in danger!!
 As a group, molluscan exoskeleton (shells, ie!) collectors should
*all* be active supporters of marine conservation efforts, and it is a
constant surprise to me how little attention is given to
conservaton-related topics on this list - a post on Toilet paper
produces 20 replies, but one on coral reef conservation strikes out:
as the caption says "What is wrong with this picture"??
Cheers,
Ross.
--
Ross Mayhew: Schooner Specimen Shells:
Http://www.schnr-specimen-shells.com
"We Specialize in the Unusual"
Phone: (902) 876-2241; Fax: (603) 909-8552.
But try to find "something for Everyone"!!
Snail Mail: 349 Herring Cove Rd, P.O Box 20005, Halifax, N.S., Canada,
B3R 2K9.