Criteria met: High volume (globally threatened), sharp increase
Principal trade term to the EU: live
Principal source: wild
Top EU importer: France
Top Trading Partner: Australia
CITES Appendix: II
IUCN Status: Near Threatened
EU-reported imports of wild-sourced, live coral of Plerogyra sinuosa, all purposes, 2002-2011.
All EU imports of P. sinuosa in 2011 were of live corals traded for commercial purposes (14 077 corals), of which the vast majority were wild-sourced. The majority of wild-sourced corals were imported directly from Australia (13 385 corals); 541 wild-sourced corals were imported directly from Fiji, accounting for 83% of Fiji’s 2011 export quota of 650 wild-sourced corals (live or dead). Imports of wild-sourced, live corals in 2011 were at their highest level over the ten-year period 2002-2011; imports from Australia more than tripled between 2010 and 2011, while imports from Fiji decreased by 8%. The SRG confirmed a positive opinion for wild specimens from Australia on 20/06/2011. P. sinuosa from Fiji was reviewed at SRG 26, where a negative opinion was formed, which was replaced with a positive opinion at SRG 28 on 15/01/2004.