Officials Agree to Protect Coral Reefs

After six years of wrangling, Florida officials agreed to protect the fragile coral reefs in the Keys by limiting fishing and diving and keeping big ships miles away. Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles and his cabinet approved a plan barring fishing in 19 critical areas. The plan would also mandate the use of mooring buoys to let boats tie up for diving without causing anchor damage, and the use of channel markers to keep boats away from the coral and fragile sea grass. The ban applies to all anglers, not only charter businesses, and some residents expressed unhappiness with the deal.