§ 660.86 - Size restrictions.

The height of a live coral specimen shall be determined by a straight line measurement taken from its base to its most distal extremity. The stem diameter of a living coral specimen shall be determined by measuring the greatest diameter of the stem at a point no less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the top surface of the living holdfast.

(a) Live pink coral harvested from any precious coral permit area must have attained a minimum height of 10 inches (25.4 cm).

(b) Black coral. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, live black coral harvested from any precious coral permit area must have attained either a minimum stem diameter of 1 inch (2.54 cm), or a minimum height of 48 inches (122 cm).

(2) The NMFS PIRO will issue an exemption permitting hand-harvesting of live black coral that has attained a minimum base diameter of 3/4 inches (1.91 cm), measured on the widest portion of the skeleton at a location just above the holdfast, to any person who reported a landing of black coral to the State of Hawaii within 5 years before April 17, 2002.