The only coral to be found in Dutch coastal waters has as good as died out, marine protection group Stichting Anemoon said at the weekend.

The coral, known as Dead Man’s Fingers, is still found on wrecked ships and the Klaverbank in the North Sea and this would be a good reason to give the gravel bank protected status, the foundation said.
The coral used to be found widely in Zeeland’s lakes and inlets but anti-flooding measures have reduced the tidal flow, which the coral needs to survive.