In the last century, tourist publications about Monaco, mentioned coral fishing among the sporting activities : "in the bewitching sea of the Principality, fishing of marine vegetation (sic) is carried out: to obtain something which is used as an ornament to ladies' dressing; in other words, coral that bush of pink marble which lives as do anemones and green algae. … The hunt for coral in Monegasque waters is a curious spectacle which tempts many a keen amateur" (Révoil, 1878, pages 280-282).

In order to reconstitute the stocks in zones where the coral had been over-exploited and also to colonise favourable areas, the A.M.P.N. (Monegasque Association for the Protection of Nature) has undertaken coral culture experiments. A first attempt was made at Banyuls-sur-Mer in 1979 by Steven Weinberg. Following these experiments, the A.M.P.N. built artificial grottos so as to create a natural environment for the red coral, where budding could take place. This method allows for semi- culture in a controlled environment. The experiments, undertaken at depths in which the corals normally live, showed that it was possible both to bud the red coral colonies and to collect the sexually reproduced individuals, thus opening the way to coral culture (A.M.P.N., 1995).