Pollution, Ships Harm Fla. Coral Reefs

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/tech/2007/jun/14/061407503.html

Just below the sea's surface off Florida's southeast coast lies a virtual gold mine. It's not sunken treasure or some Spanish galleon but instead nature's bounty, rows of coral reefs that generate billions of dollars a year in tourism spending.

But pollution, warming waters from climate change, commercial fishing, development and ship groundings are putting that at risk. There have been 12 major ship groundings on reefs outside Port Everglades, just south of Fort Lauderdale, since 1993. That's the most in the country. The port has three parallel reefs off its shore and narrow channels and tight spots for maneuvering and anchoring among them.

With 84 percent of the nation's coral reefs located in Florida, officials are moving quickly to develop ways to protect them.

On Thursday, Tim Keeney, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere and a key high-level figure within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, got a firsthand look at reef damage, repair and recovery efforts.

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