Confiscated coral given to Md.'s National Aquarium

Illegally imported corals seized by federal agents in Florida are being put to good use at Baltimore's National Aquarium.

Aquarium officials said Monday that the 20 pieces of birdsnest coral and 22 pieces of Pocillopora damicornis corals are being used as educational tools in the aquarium's new Blacktip Reef. They are also being used in conservation outreach efforts and school science programs.

The corals were cut from reefs off the coast of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. They were seized at the Port of Tampa in March after inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Importing such coral is a violation of the Endangered Species Act.

After the shipment was forfeited to the U.S. government, CBP donated it to aquarium in June.