Sustainability

MEASURES FOR FISHERY MANAGEMENT

Red coral, scientifically known as Corallium rubrum, has been harvested since ancient times, with evidence of its use by the Sumerians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, and Celts.
Today, it is harvested in the Mediterranean Sea and along the Atlantic coasts of Morocco.

The GFCM – General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean – has over the years organized a series of workshops in various European and North African cities. These events brought together researchers, technicians, and scientists from around the world, as well as representatives of the governments of all Mediterranean countries. Their goal was to establish a set of mandatory recommendations to make coral harvesting environmentally friendly and sustainable over time.

The most significant measures adopted for fishery management in the Mediterranean are as follows:

Harvesting can only be carried out by scuba divers.

The only tool allowed during collection is a small pickaxe.

Harvesting is prohibited at depths shallower than 50 meters.

Authorized fishermen are required to record and report the quantities harvested and their efforts to the competent authorities by filling out a specific form used to create a database.

It is forbidden to harvest coral branches with a diameter smaller than 7 mm.

Coral can only be landed in ports designated by local authorities.

Local management plans—which regulate fishing in different areas of the Mediterranean—may only implement stricter measures than those listed above.
Local management is based on a system of limited fishing licenses, restricted quotas per fisherman, rotation of collection areas, and a limited fishing season.

All these measures, combined with the constant oversight of the GFCM (a FAO body), make red coral harvesting environmentally compatible with marine ecosystems and sustainable over time.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REEF CORAL AND PRECIOUS CORAL

It is incorrect to equate coral used in jewelry with coral from coral reef formations, as they are fundamentally different.
Although zoologists place them in the same phylum (Cnidaria) and class (Anthozoa), tropical reef corals are scleractinian and live in shallow waters, whereas the coral used in jewelry is a gorgonian, belonging to the Gorgoniidae family, found on rocky seabeds at depths of 10–15 meters or more.

The five coral species used in jewelry—due to their hardness and compactness—are:
CORALLIUM RUBRUM, JAPONICUM, ELATIUS, SECUNDUM, KONJOI.
None of these species come from coral reefs.

Corallium rubrum is widespread throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Commonly known as Sardinian Coral or Mediterranean Coral, it can be found at depths of up to 200 meters and is generally red in color, with lighter or darker shades depending on the area of origin.

Japanese Coral—often incorrectly used to refer to the four species from the Pacific Ocean—comes in a range of colors: from the deep red of the Japanese "moro" coral (AKA), to the pale pink of the famous "angel skin" coral (BOKÉ), the orange tones of the CERASUOLO, and the rosy white of DEEP SEA or MISSU coral.
These corals can be found at great depths: up to 1000–1500 meters; hence the name of one variety, DEEP SEA CORAL.
The capitalized names indicate commercial terms commonly used by industry professionals, just like MEDITERRANEAN CORAL.

Tommaso Mazza, President of Assocoral, emphasizes:

“The corals used in jewelry—whether from the Mediterranean or the four species from the Pacific—are not reef corals. Of the approximately 1,200 existing coral species, only five are suitable for working, and none of them come from coral reefs. They are deep-sea corals.
After all, reef corals are not suitable for working: often sold as tourist souvenirs, they are too brittle and unsuitable for use in jewelry. Moreover, they are strictly protected and cannot be harvested.
Unfortunately, this is not always clearly understood and is often misrepresented.
In recent years, environmental awareness has grown, and this can have significant repercussions for our sector if we are wrongly associated with increasingly condemned practices.
Therefore, I want to stress again that reef corals are neither used nor usable in jewelry, and their collection and commercialization are completely banned.
This is an entirely different matter from precious deep-sea corals, which we harvest and process for commercial use.
The collection of these corals is allowed and regulated by specific legislative norms, in place for years in our region of Sardinia and now widely adopted throughout the Mediterranean. Thanks to these regulations, the scientific community has recently confirmed that these coral species are not at risk of extinction, as they are adequately protected and safeguarded.
As an association, we are on the front line to ensure their sustainable use under the supervision of a FAO agency, the GFCM.
By sustainable use, I mean harvesting practices that ensure the continuous availability of raw material to support our craftsmanship over time.
It should be clear that our industry has a vested interest in maintaining sustainability—otherwise, our entire sector would disappear.
The same applies to our Japanese colleagues, who work in accordance with the laws of their country to achieve the same shared goal.”

In conclusion, all corals used in traditional, non-polluting craftsmanship are deep-sea corals. They are not at risk of extinction and should not be confused with reef corals, which are not used at all in our industry.

Create Website with flazio.com | Free and Easy Website Builder