周三，著名的海洋探险家雅克·库斯托（Jacques Cousteau）的孙子菲利普·库斯托（Philippe Cousteau）警告说，扩大佛罗里达港口的计划是“疯子”，它有可能遭受灾难，即已经退化的珊瑚生态系统。扩大佛罗里达州劳德代尔堡的大沼泽地港口的计划将需要疏ed挖出现有的运输运河，使其更深入。
Those for the project say it will bring new jobs while those opposed say the dredging will smother and kill corals on the only barrier reef off the Continental US. What’s worse is that dredging could even lead to continued decline and possible extinction of an already vulnerable pillar coral species.
挖掘涉及挖掘大片海床，并将沉积物沉积在海中，最终覆盖了需要光生存的珊瑚。最近对迈阿密港口的疏and在附近的海底上铺设了多达14厘米（5.5英寸）的沉积物，覆盖了佛罗里达礁的一部分。如果劳德代尔堡的疏ed项目被批准了许多担心，它将削弱世界第三大礁石的罕见珊瑚。
库斯托说：“美国海岸其他地方还有礁石，但这确实是关键。珊瑚礁已经大大退化，我们非常担心，因为迈阿密港口的疏and都是任何环境标准都是一场灾难。我们无法犯这些错误，也不能从中学到这些错误。”
珊瑚s live in a symbiotic relationship with a photosynthetic algae, which require sunlight to create energy and survive. Dredging stirs up the water column and sediments can smother corals by cutting off the vital supply of sunlight making it harder and harder for corals to feed.
Rachel Silverstein, is executive director ofMiami Waterkeepers, a South Florida not-for-profit is worried the same die off and sedimentation from Miami will happen again in Fort Lauderdale. “These reefs are like the redwood of California, they belong to all of us and we should protect them”. Rachel says that by piling sediment on to corals, we could be “pushing them to extinction” warning, there is a possibility rare corals from this reef system could disappear in our lifetimes.[The Guardian]
