Coral Mystery pt.VI the Study

About the second bank, the one discovered in August 1878, Canestrini observes that “it too is approximately 200 meters deep, according to our sounding lines, and is covered in mud, as was evidenced by the dredging performed on site. It is more extensive than the previous one, as the length is approximately one mile and about ¾ of a mile in width. It still contains a moderate quantity of coral even now, as proven by the fact that on 26 and 27 July there were between eighteen and twenty trawlers fishing. The presence of this quantity of coral was also demonstrated by our dredging, which revealed that it was of excellent quality, as it is generally of a beautiful red color and only a small quantity is darkish or black. We may presume that during this year the bank will be so exploited that any future fishing will not be worth the cost of the undertaking. Here too we found that all the coral lacked a sarcosoma, that it is dead, and so there is no hope that it may grow or reproduce.”
Of the third bank, the one found in 1880, Canestrini writes: “of the three it is the most extensive, as its length may be assessed at 2.5 miles and its width is 2 miles. It is approximately 180 meters in depth, oscillating, according to our depth sounders, from a minimum of 148 metres to a maximum of 200 meters.
“It too, like the other banks in the area, is covered in mud.
“The coral we collected there was dead, and we also gathered some other animal species found on the other banks. As for the quantity of the coral, we can say it was significant, because even this year there are approximately 200 trawlers fishing, and we collected a significant quantity with our own nets. But the quality is very poor; the tiny shrubs are generally short and thin and the color tends to be blackish, thus the commercial price of this coral is rather low. It is highly likely that in a few years fishing on this bank will no longer be profitable and will be abandoned.”

to be Continued...
[text taken with license from the author Giuseppe Rajola from the book Sciacca Mystery]

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