Transplantation Tests of Precious Coral Fragments Using Small-sized Artificial Substratum

Since the Roman era, precious corals have been used to make ornaments worldwide, and their demand has recently increased. As a basic study for artificial cultivation, we transplanted Corallium japonicum fragments. In 2016 and 2017, 132 fragments approximately 3-5 cm in length were attached to small-sized artificial substratums using marine epoxy on land. These artificial substratums, acting as transplant substrates, were then transported and sunk to a depth approximately 100 m off the coast of Otsuki Town and Tosashimizu City, Kochi Prefecture, where precious corals once flourished. From six months to three years post-submersion, we successfully recovered the transplanted substrates and found a total of 107 fragments (81%). We confirmed that 106 of these fragments were alive 177 to 936 days after transplantation. Although we could not measure growth rates due to the initial damage caused by the transplantation, we observed growth in coenenchyme tissues, new polyps and new branches in the 104 surviving fragments. This result suggests there is great potential to artificially multiply precious corals, which could aid in the development of a sustainable precious coral industry.