VERO BEACH, Fla. — Cable lines strung across Florida’s southern coast are severely damaging coral reefs, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
Fiber-optic cables, used to connect central and Latin American phone and Internet service with state residents, destroy the brittle reef structures as they swing back and forth underwater, according to a PEER study conducted during the summer of 2002. This is the first research to document how fiber-optic cables continue to damage reef structures long after their initial installation. The study, focusing on the state-regulated waters off Broward County, shows that boat anchor snags, wave surges and coastal currents cause the cable lines to repeatedly batter the fragile structures.
Covering less than 1 percent of the planet’s surface, coral reefs are the world’s most biologically diverse marine ecosystems. Living among Florida’s corals are sponges, crabs, turtles, lobsters and nearly 600 fish species. Because many coral reef organisms can tolerate only a narrow range of conditions, reef communities are highly sensitive to environmental or human-caused damages.
PEER said Florida’s coral reefs, estimated to have taken between 5,000 and 7,000 years to develop, are rapidly diminishing from a variety of man-made sources, including offshore dredging, increased turbidity and global warming.
“The state’s plan to install even more underwater cables lacks a realistic understanding of the damage already done,” said PEER General Counsel Dan Meyer, noting that cable lines could be installed above the Oculina Bank, which is the northernmost point of Florida’s coral reefs. “These ancient structures may be gone forever before Florida realizes the consequences of today’s actions.”
Meyer also said the state-owned underwater property is leased to fiber-optic companies at cut-rate prices. Florida is one of only three coastal states that do not collect a fee based on fair market value, according to PEER, and fiber-optic cables can generate a profit of more than $5,000 per minute to operators.
Florida, however, treats fiber-optic cable companies as if they were state-regulated public utilities even though the industry has long been deregulated — with cable access awarded to the highest bidder. — Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
