Amalfi Coast: 400 kg of endangered coral stolen in two years

In two years, approximately 400 kg of Corallium rubrum , a protected species of red coral at risk of extinction, were fished , worth approximately one million euros. The illegal activity, which primarily affected the area off the Amalfi Coast (Punta Campanella, Li Galli in Positano, Conca de' Marini, and the Isca rock in Praiano), was discovered by the Port Authority of Salerno. According to experts, it will take approximately fifty years to repair the damage caused to the area's marine heritage.

AMALFI COAST CORALS

As part of the investigation that led to the coral seizure, ten precautionary measures were also taken against ten people who, according to investigators, illegally harvested red coral and then traded it illegally.

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ILLEGAL CORAL FISHING

The commander of the Salerno Port Authority, Giuseppe Menna, explained that the fishermen operated through a front company that, using a fictitious corporate purpose, allowed them to carry out their illegal activities. The dives also took place in several locations in Sardinia, Puglia, and Sicily . The suspects, residents of the provinces of Salerno and Naples, were issued with an order requiring them to remain at home in their municipality during certain hours due to environmental pollution.

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