The European Commission on the Environment has listed Corallium rubrum in Annex V of the Habitats Directive. Annex V = an “animal or plant species of community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures” In 1994 the European Union banned the harvest of Corallium in the Mediterranean via dredging equipment.

(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/habitatsdirective/index_en.htm).