Curio trade

Picture courtesy of Topham

Harvesting of reef resources goes beyond food values. A particular threat to reef ecosystems is the collection of live and dead corals, seashells, and turtle shells for the trade in for example ornaments, curios and jewellery. Corals, particularly red, pink and black, are widely used in the jewellery industry. While these corals are not restricted to coral reef regions, reefs are a major source, especially for black corals. This industry was unsustainable in many countries, and like the trade in scleratinian corals, is now strictly regulated under the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). The USA is the major consumer while Taiwan and the Philippines have tended to dominate the export statistics. Within the USA (Hawaii) there is a substantial black coral harvest, However it is relatively well managed with a minimum size restriction preventing over utilisation.

The Queen conch, Strombus gigas, is a large marine mollusc that is a well-known dietary staple in the Caribbean region and whose utilisation is known to have been very intense. Despite its listing in CITES Appendix II, regulations are not being enforced. The entire animal is used: the fleshy body being used in a variety of recipes and the shells traded as a whole, often polished and sometimes crafted into souvenirs. Many retailers in the UK sell shells, dried specimens such as seahorses and starfish, and pieces of coral as ornaments, and other household items. In many cases, the curios are endangered species, and most are fished live and deliberately for the curio trade - they are rarely found "washed up on the beach".

The use of turtle shell was once very popular in jewellery and other decorative ornaments ' e.g. combs, jewellery, lampshades and other 'tortoise shell' items. In 1995, the Government of Zanzibar, Tanzania, destroyed Souvenirs made from sea turtle products, in an effort to eliminate a trade that is escalating as the number of tourists to the island was growing. However, the scarcity of marine turtles combined with strict controls on the trade in turtles has now greatly reduced the side of this trade. Japan is largely responsible for driving this trade, importing tens of thousands of hawksbill turtles for tortoiseshell trinkets. Stuffed turtles, turtle skin goods, live hatchlings are all sold illegally in souvenir shops. Many turtles that are taken for souvenirs have not reached sexual maturity, which can have significant consequences for future breeding population numbers.