Precious
coral has been used as jewelry and also appeared in pictures and
stories as a symbol of treasure, which has enriched our lives. We
propose the following to achieve the sustainable fishery of this
precious coral.
1. Selective fishing, and fishing suspension or rotational fishing
The size-age structure of Japanese red coral, Paracorallium japonicum
colonies in the sea around the Amami Islands, southern Japan was
investigated, which confirmed that the colonies reach the harvestable
size in 10-20 years of fishing suspension (Fig. 1). To use this
resource sustainably, only a certain size of coral should be harvested
using selective fishing gears such as remotely operated vehicles. Also
fishing areas should be closed for 10-20 years. Or allocating areas for
fishing closures on a rotational basis would be a useful conservation
effort.
2.
For the preservation of this resource, fishing should be prohibited in
areas precious corals occur in high density or areas they preserve high
levels of genetic diversity.
3. To maintain steady-state
recruitment, fishing should be prohibited during the reproductive
season. In Kochi Prefecture, June and July, the reproductive season of
precious coral in Tosa Bay, have been designated as the closed season since March 2012.。
(Nozomu Iwasaki of Rissho University)
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