Coral Calcium Guru

Marine Bed Semi-Fossil Coral vs. Above Water Fossilized Coral

Marine Bed Semi-Fossil Coral Calcium and Ecological Safety

Ecological safety appears to be a huge issue with the companies selling fossilized coral calcium. We hope the two letters below will help to clear the air and put an end to the worries about marine bed coral calcium causing harm to the eco-system. As you will read below, only 0.01% or 1/100 of a percent is collected annually.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY,
BIOLOGY AND MARINE SCIENCE
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF THE RYUKYUS

Nishihaura-cho Okinawa 903-0213, JAPAN

The 'Coral Grains' used by Marine-Bio Co., Ltd.

The "Coral Grains" which has been used by Marine Bio. Co., Ltd., is a weathered remains of fragments of debris of coral reef marine organisms. These particles are originally formed in the coral reef area weathered by tide and wave motions and/or by interaction with seawater. They accumulated at the sea bottom near the coral reef area where the current is gentle.

The harvest of "Coral Grain" does not give damages on the living coral, but only collects naturally formed coral grains. As metaphorically speaking with tree and leaves, we do not cut down the tree nor living leaves, but only gather the fallen leaves.

It is important to say that, as a regal subject, harvest of the grains is controlled under the Okinawa Prefecture Government regulation. It is considered that controlled harvest with a fully supervised environmental conservation, does not give harms to the natural environment nor cause the exhaustion of reef building coral grains.

According to a study by oceanographers, the annual production rate of the "coral grain" is estimated to be approximately 3kg/m squared in the coral reef sea around the Ryukyu Islands. Since the coral reef building sea area in Okinawa Prefecture is approximately 800 km squared, it is calculated that approximately 2.4 million tons of "coral grain" is naturally produced annually. We can safely claim that at least 1.2 million tons of the "semi-fossilized (weathered) reef building coral grain" is naturally produced annually. Therefore, harvesting 100 tons monthly (1,200 tons annually) is equivalent to 0.01% of the "coral grains" annual production, and we can say that there is of so little consequence as to warrant little or no attention to the impact on the ecological system of reef building coral and environment, at the present rate.

Tamotsu Oomori
Professor
Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Sciences
Faculty of Science, University of Ryukyus

The sea area of Kerema Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan is one of the most famous places in the world where reef-building coral spawns.

Marine Bio Co., Ltd. utilizes the semi-fossil of weathered reef building coral grain from the sea bottom in this area which is appointed by the Okinawa Prefectural Government.

They respect not only the living reef building coral but also the environmental conservation of them. If we compare this with the idea of living tree on the ground, a tree is taken care of and the coral grains utilized can be compared to falling leaves from the tree.

This year, Marine Bio joined the "Coral Defense League" which helps to exterminate natural enemies to living coral which eat away the reef building coral. Their effort has been resulting in the successful environmental conservation for the sea of Kerama.

MITSUO NAKAMURA
Mayor of Zamami Village, Okinawa Pref.