Taking coral from off the Treasure Coast can land you in hot water

Jeff Westerhoff sells legally acquired coral for up to $80 a piece at his Aquatic Life store in Stuart.

Other people just dive into the ocean and steal these colorful sea creatures for their saltwater fish tanks or to sell online, but taking coral is illegal, can harm the living coral reefs and can bring the coral thieves fines and even jail time.

In Florida, most coral is found from Stuart to the Florida Keys, where the water is warm and there are only moderate waves.

Hard corals include the types that are used to build reefs and aid in the filtration of saltwater aquariums. If caught taking the live coral from the wild, the firstoffense is a second-degree misdemeanor, which is up to $500 in fines, 60 days in jail, or both depending on the judge. Repeated offenses are first-degree misdemeanors, which include higher fines and longer jail sentences.

Officer Robert Dube, who works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Monroe County, said coral theft doesn't seem to happen frequently in the Keys.

"I've had maybe five or six (arrests) in the 20 years I've worked here," Dube said.

Coral reefs grow 1 to 16 feet every 1,000 years, according to the Florida State Department's Web site. So, the reef may not have replaced the coral fragments recovered by Dube — even the pieces from two decades ago...[TCPalm.com]