The family Coralliidae, consisting of the genera Corallium and Paracorallium, commonly known as red and pink corals, contains the most valuable and rarest taxa of precious corals in commerce. Seven species in this family have been intensively fished for use in jewelry, amulets, art objects, and homeopathic medicines. There is a well-established pattern of discovery, exploitation, and rapid depletion of stocks, with fisheries moving on to new beds as old ones are depleted. The International Workshop on Red Coral Science, Management, and Trade: Lessons from the Mediterranean was convened September 23-26, 2009 in Naples, Italy. Hosted by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment and NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, the workshop provided an opportunity to discuss the best available science on the natural history of Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum L.) as well as how it is managed throughout the region and utilized around the world. Attendees included scientists, managers, representatives of the coral fishery, manufacturing industries, policy makers, and environmental organizations from Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. The workshop involved presentations on the biology, taxonomy, and status of populations, fisheries, existing management approaches, trade and other and threats, uses of Corallium, and major markets. This information, plus the working group tasks and reports, are included here in Proceedings of the International Workshop on Red Coral Science, Management, and Trade: Lessons from the Mediterranean.
Citation: Bussoletti, E., D. Cottingham, A. Bruckner, G. Roberts, and R. Sandulli (editors). 2010. Proceedings of the International Workshop on Red Coral Science, Management, and Trade: Lessons from the Mediterranean. NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 13, Silver Spring, MD. 233pp.
