the ban on fishing for red coral at the center of the debates

It is the red gold of the Mediterranean. Since Antiquity, men have been diving to fish for it in the depths. But red coral is becoming increasingly rare and its fishing is subject to regulations. In Italy, it is only allowed four months a year. An Italian fisherman explains that a kilo is worth between 1,300 and 1,500 euros, proof of its value.

But red gold is increasingly rare and the question of the ban is insistent. If in Sardinia, an island where the plant brings good luck, we do not want to hear about a ban, in Monaco, the question of the repopulation of the seabed is gaining ground. “We just want to put it back where it was 30 years ago”, supports Stéphanie Reynaud-Berthier, research officer at the Monaco Scientific Center. Coral reefs that are still intact are increasingly rare in the Mediterranean Sea.