I think it is much more a state of mind, a lack of education and a lack of an ethical "care" gene or something similar. Drive down any highway in and country on any continent, and you see litter. Go to any country and you see vandalism. I like fishing yet get so frustrated with other fisher-folk for the garbage they leave, for illegal catches, for not treating the environment with respect. I used to hunt (on land.) I again witnessed cruel behavior, people shooting a doe but they didn't have a doe permit, so they just let it lay there and die. I have seen people shoot beautiful bucks only to take the head for mounting. I have seen people shoot all sorts of animals, not for food, but for the "thrill" of killing something.
Killing coral or a sea cucumber, a starfish, or anything without a purpose (hunting for food, life preservation, preserving reefs, invasive species, legitimate scientific study, etc.) is nothing short of immoral, unethical behavior that should get you banned from doing that behavior (or having the access to do that behavior) again.