"Scientists warn that a proposed expansion of Port Everglades could cause unprecedented damage to corals in the U.S., including some of the only remaining endangered staghorn corals that survived a record-breaking heat wave."
"Beneath the surface of one of South Florida’s busiest maritime hubs, Port Everglades, scientists found 10 million corals thriving in and around the main channel traversed daily by cargo and cruise ships, now threatened by a major federal dredging project.
The discovery, detailed in a new scientific analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Shedd Aquarium, shows that coral populations near the port in Fort Lauderdale have persisted, and in some cases grown over the past decade, even as most reefs across Florida have collapsed from disease, coastal development and rising ocean temperatures.
“There are still a lot of corals out there, and they need to be protected,” said Ross Cunning, a research biologist at the Chicago-based Shedd Aquarium who co-authored the study.
Thousands of them are endangered staghorn corals—fast-growing reef builders that create habitat for marine life and help protect coastlines from storm surge. According to another recent study, also co-authored by Cunning, staghorn corals have all but vanished elsewhere in the region and are considered functionally extinct."
Teresa Tomassoni reports for Inside Climate News January 4, 2026.
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