Black corals are found worldwide¶'×← in oceans from polar to tropical regions, and β have a wide distribution range from ↓2 meters to 8600 meters deep. Despi•€δ↔te this wide range, black corals are m§₹ainly found in deeper w₩₹€♣aters, with more than 75% of known s≈pecies only below 50 meter&←₹£s. At these depths, blac©k corals are often abundant, predominant aπ÷←£nimal components and crea✘♣πte habitats for countless associated↕$ organisms.
In Hawaii, black coral is especiall₩y important, not only from an ecological ♥π×point of view, but also economically and c∑♣₹≥ulturally. First, black corals arΩ↑e the main habitats that f☆εorm in deep-sea reefs in Hawaii, where they are a♦¶¥αffected by strong currents. Second, Hawa$εφii is the only place in the U.S. where black coraσ∏♠l is commercially fished for its precious coral jΩ∏ewelry, and the only one in the world.≤₽£ It's a multi-million dollar"© business that employs nearly 65₩₽≠0 people and does manufacturing and retai↑®ling across the state. Third, black corals × ∞are equally culturally important, as ¥they represent the nation✘☆9;s official gemstone. It is co₹↓mmonly used in medicine in traditional Hawaiian ← culture. ‘ēkaha kū moana ∑£, black coral known in the Haw♣$✘aiian language, has long been prized by Nativ€₽e Hawaiians for its supposed healing properties α¶✘αfor lung disease and mouth ulcers.
Although Hawaiians have use≠<$€d black coral for centuries, only Westeε≥₩ rn scientists discover$&☆ed black coral in Hawaii in the♣↑ early 20th century.
Black coral in the Hawaiian♥↕'↑ Islands was first sam∞£©≥pled by a scientific e<∞xpedition from the U.S. Fish®β÷eries Commission in 1902. Using deep-sea trawls∞↓ and tangle nets, black corals were collected ≈$ in Hawaiian waters at depths greater than 2,0'₽ε≠00 meters, although most speci→™×↕mens were collected at depths less thanελ☆♥ 500 meters. Black coral specimens are kept in ©¥ ★the National Museum of Natural History∑₽, and until a recent Ωreexamination of these col≈¶lections has led to the descripti∑∞ €on of many new species, including in Hawaiian watλ∞ers. In 1928, Verrill formally described th☆₽€↔e black coral species in Hδ¶πawaii for the first time. In 1958♠☆₹✘, an abundance of black coral was disc₩ →overed on Maui, a discovery t₽¥hat eventually led to the development o£ ↑σf a local black coral↑• fishery, as well as extensiv≤≥<♥e research into this group of coΩ™rals. Scientists, resource managers, an₩←d fishermen have worked$✘¥¶ closely together throughout the his&♥&tory of the fishery, so Hawaii≥≥9;s black corals are among the best studied on a ✘δglobal scale.
Since its inception i☆£n 1958, Hawaii's black<₩ coral fishery has been prov₩₹ε®ided by divers who collect coral between 40-70 m¶↔÷eters, mainly in the channel between Maπ≥≥ui and Renai, and on Kaua and Hawaii ✔ε✔γisland of isle. Fishing methods have remai↓≥>∏ned largely the same since the ™♥≤beginning of the fishery, in→"₹cluding fishermen scuba diving t≠ o the black coral beds, separating them from₽ the substrate with an axe or sled, ε₩€and bringing the coral back∞♣× to the surface via lifting bags or ancho"₹r lines.
As more and more commercial exploitati≈®₹on of black coral has ☆≥increased, so has the fishing of ₹≈ black coral. There are surveys that≥® show a decline in the biomass of commercia♥δlly valuable black corals. This means thaδ•t without proper management p€§ractices, black coral resource£←s will be depleted. It is exciting that ♦>the government of Hawaii ≠ has proposed management measures for black coral.'§>₽ For example, it restricts pe™ople's fishing and so on.
Through ongoing researchσ✔Ω↑ partnerships among diverse fisheries stakeholδ 'ders, Hawaiian black✘Ω coral populations have become some of the b'↑εest studied in the world, and adaptδδ ive management strategies must continu★Ωe as new scientific info©φrmation emerges.
From "NOAA"