Divers find rare corals off Palm Beach

Oct 1, 2009 1 min read

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Divers exploring the ocean off Palm Beach say they’ve discovered an exciting find – a previously unknown field of threatened staghorn corals about a mile offshore.

The group, Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, says officials once believed the rare corals stretched no further north than Boca Raton. But they say they’re finding more patches of it along Palm Beach County’s coastline.

Staghorn and elkhorn corals are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, the first corals ever to receive such protections based on rapid declines. Their populations throughout South Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and elsewhere have declined dramatically over the years, largely due to sea temperature rise.