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Blue coral ( Heliopora coerulea) is a species of colonial coral. It is the only octocoral known to produce a massive skeleton. This skeleton is formed of aragonite, similar to that of scleractinia. Individual polyps live in tubes within the skeleton and are connected by a thin layer of tissue over the outside of the skeleton.
Iron salts give the skeleton of Heliopora coerulea its unique color, which allows for easy recognition in fossil outcrops. As such, it is fairly abundant within paleontology, with fossils indicating the species has remained unchanged since the Cretaceous.
Blue coral has shown a particular resistance to thermal changes in its environment and has actually grown more in warmer temperatures.
The world's largest deposit of blue coral is in Shiraho, Japan.Claus, C. A. 2020. Drawing the Sea Near: Satoumi and Coral Reef Conservation in Okinawa. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press This deposit however was threatened by the possible development of an airport in 1989. The airport was to be placed over the coral bed and would have resulted in the destruction of these rare coral. Transnational organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature stepped in and with public support managed to prevent the construction. The organization also constructed a field research station at the site to further study the corals. The airport was eventually built but at a location where it wouldn't harm the corals. The Fund then attempted to implement their typical procedures of creating protected areas for the coral. However, the prior support from the public disappeared. The residents of Shiraho were opposed to the creation of such areas.
Conservationists thus took a different approach. They attempted to further connect the community of Shiraho with the sea, beyond just fishing, to try and inspire a desire to conserve the area. What resulted was the revitalization of sanizu. It is a local celebration where the people give back to the sea gods. The tradition had decreased in prevalence over the years due to a variety of reasons including economic pressure and other local socioeconomic conditions. The Fund was unable to initiate the celebration so instead they provided the tools and resources for it. This led to a large-scale sanizu celebration where both locals and conservationists connected with the sea.
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