The EcoEZ SEASMART Program received a warm welcome at MACNA in Orlando, Florida, USA in early September 2010. MACNA, which stands for the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America, is the largest marine aquarium conference in Canada and the United States. This was SEASMART’s second trip to MACNA, but it was in Orlando this year that SEASMART’s presence was truly felt by nearly every conference attendee. David Vosseler, SEASMART’s program director, gave the keynote address at this year’s banquet, sharing a heartfelt message of sustainability and conservation with all in attendance. "The marine aquarium trade is the number one coral reef conservation tool in the world," Vosseler said later, reiterating his central message. "The PNG SEASMART Program would not be able to do what it is doing without the support of the trade."

In addition to Vosseler’s talk, the SEASMART Program showed a video of both how the Program operates at the village level and some simply stunning reef and fish shots. While people enthusiastically cheered the animals, especially the PNG lightning maroon clownfish, an unexpected highlight of the video was the documentation of the recent sea turtle rescue operation carried out by SEASMART staff. The video also shared some of the first images of the coral farm that SEASMART announced directly prior to MACNA. PNG maricultured corals are set to hit international markets later this year.

On Sunday, the day after the banquet, Ret Talbot, a contributing editor at CORAL Magazine, gave a well-attended presentation on the SEASMART Program based on his trip to PNG last spring and the resulting articles in the May/June and July/Aug issues of CORAL. “While the marine aquarium trade in PNG is still in its trial phase,” said Talbot after his presentation, “the SEASMART Program and the government of PNG are setting up the trade in Papua New Guinea in such a way that it truly can be the model for sustainable wild collection that supports both the individual fisher and the reefs themselves.” Talbot has been traveling around the country speaking on his trip to PNG since he returned in April. “Of course from a hobbyist perspective,” he adds, “the animals are just stunning.”