Red coral (Corallium rubrum)

Red coral (Corallium rubrum) belongs to the sea fans and is a typical species of the Mediterranean Sea. It grows at depths from 5 to 200 metres. In the Adriatic, it is primarily found on the outer edge of islands facing the open sea and in areas where annual changes in temperature and salinity are small. The coral grows from 4 to 8 mm per year.

Red coral has high commercial value and is used to make jewellery such as bracelets, necklaces, rings, pendants, brooches, etc.

In the past, red coral was extracted using a wooden or metal device in the shape of a cross with netting attached to its edges. In the middle, at the intersection, a 30 to 50 kg rock would be hung, and the device pulled by boat along the seabed or along the cliffs. Therefore, in addition to the target species, this device also broke off many other organisms. Today, coral harvesting is much more selected, and is collected by hand by coral divers licensed by the Fisheries Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development. Each coral diver is permitted to remove 200 kilograms of red coral per collection season.

The greatest cause for the drop in the red coral population is illegal harvesting by divers who decimate the entire habitat, without leaving the population the chance to regenerate. In addition to illegal harvesting, red coral populations are also impacted by trawling, net fishing, boat anchoring, pollution and increased global warming.

In Croatia, red coral is protected under the Nature Protection Act (OG 70/05, 139/08). The Ministry of Culture issued the Ordinance on the proclamation of protected and strictly protected wild taxa (OG 7/06, 99/09) by which red coral is listed as a protected native species. The Action Plan for the conservation of red coral is currently being developed, and will introduce specific measures aimed at ensuring the most effective protection for this precious species.

View the remaining species of the month HERE.