The disaster in south Florida is invisible from above water but the damage is horrific. Hundreds of yards of sensitive coral reefs, part of the largest such ecosystem in the United States, have been sliced through by boats in two incidents over the last month. Indeed, because of choppy conditions, the assessment of the damage at one site, a mile offshore from the famed Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, was not possible until this week. It is now believed that a cable line from a tug boat, or possibly lobster traps, cut a swath estimated at about 200 yards long and 70 feet wide. A diver with the state’s fish and wildlife conservation commission who surveyed the area Tuesday called it "as bad as it’s been portrayed. It’s extensive." One diver who scoped the 50-foot-deep waters off Palm Beach before the state could examine the damage called it the worst he’s ever seen from a single incident. Added Ed Tichenor, director of Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, who reported the damage to state agencies: "As far as I’ve been diving here, I haven’t heard of a similar incident of this magnitude." The other damaged reef is located off a state park just south of Port Everglades. There, sponges have been sliced, and soft and hard corals cut and turned over. (See pictures of imperiled coral reefs here.)
What’s Killing Florida’s Coral Reefs? (Time.com)
Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:05:00 GMT
