Dozens of community members gathered at the Blake Library in Martin County after a federally appointed council voted to roll back longstanding protections for the Oculina Bank — a rare deep-water coral reef found nowhere else on Earth.
Located just off the coast of Fort Pierce, the reef is hidden hundreds of feet below the surface, and unlike most coral that needs shallow sunlight to survive, the Oculina Bank thrives in deep, dark waters.
WATCH WPTV’S COVERAGE BELOW:
Community rallies to protect rare Oculina Bank reef from trawling
The reef is also home to more than 2,000 marine species…