chadillac
Member
This info is from a local paper....
Key West ---officials said they will consider adding three types of Florida corals to the U.S. list of threatened and endangered species, making them the 1st species of coral under review for special protection.
The National Oceanic and AZtmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service agreed to recommend whether to list elkhorn coral, staghorn coral, and fused staghorn coral as threatened species. A panel of experts will make the recommendation.
They will be the 1st coral species under review for federal protection,said Jennifer Moore, a NOAA natural resource specialist.
The three kinds of coral have been considered species of special concern-- which means they have been under watch since 1999.
The coral,which are typically golden brown with branches like tree limbs , are largely found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Caribbean and in the Florida Keys, althoughsome are also located off Broward county and Texas.
Many have been destroyed by coral bleaching, boat groundings and disease. In the Florida Keys, more than 90% of these species of coral have died in the past few decades, said Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
An Arizona-based enviromental group called the Center for Biological Diversity petitoned for the review last March.
From the Sarasota Hearld Tribune July 2,2004
Key West ---officials said they will consider adding three types of Florida corals to the U.S. list of threatened and endangered species, making them the 1st species of coral under review for special protection.
The National Oceanic and AZtmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service agreed to recommend whether to list elkhorn coral, staghorn coral, and fused staghorn coral as threatened species. A panel of experts will make the recommendation.
They will be the 1st coral species under review for federal protection,said Jennifer Moore, a NOAA natural resource specialist.
The three kinds of coral have been considered species of special concern-- which means they have been under watch since 1999.
The coral,which are typically golden brown with branches like tree limbs , are largely found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Caribbean and in the Florida Keys, althoughsome are also located off Broward county and Texas.
Many have been destroyed by coral bleaching, boat groundings and disease. In the Florida Keys, more than 90% of these species of coral have died in the past few decades, said Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
An Arizona-based enviromental group called the Center for Biological Diversity petitoned for the review last March.
From the Sarasota Hearld Tribune July 2,2004
