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 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Just below the sea's surface off Florida's southeast coast lies a virtual gold mine. It's not sunken treasure or a Spanish galleon but rather 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 jeopardizing them. With 84 percent of the nation's coral reefs located along Florida's 1,350 miles of coastline, officials are moving quickly 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 and repair and recovery efforts.
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