This article reported that late last month a ton of live rock coral being illegally imported from Indonesia and was seized at Manchester Airport. The endangered coral had been flown over 7,000 miles before it was discovered that the package had been mislabeled and sent without documentation by the sender. The live coral was transported to the Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port on display for visitors until things are straightened out with the Indonesian government. If those that were illegally importing the coral are discovered, they may be sentenced the seven years in jail and charged with an unlimited fine.
According to a Wikipedia report, live rock is actually an accumulation of calcium carbonate from left over coral skeletons. It acts as a biological filter and provide an ideal habitat for numerous living species, thus the name ‘live rock’. In 2008 a ban was put on the collection of live rock due to over collecting.
What do you think the risks would be to the live rock transporting as far as they did?
What do you think a ton of live rock would be used for after being harvested?
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