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Coral Gardeners Bring Back Jamaica's Reefs, Piece by Piece

Associated Press

   OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA - Everton Simpson squints at the Caribbean from his
   motorboat, scanning the dazzling bands of color for hints of what lies
   beneath. Emerald green indicates sandy bottoms. Sapphire blue lies
   above seagrass meadows. And deep indigo marks coral reefs. That's where
   he's headed.

   He steers the boat to an unmarked spot that he knows as the "coral
   nursery." "It's like a forest under the sea," he says, strapping on
   blue flippers and fastening his tank before tipping backward into the
   azure waters. He swims down 25 feet (7.6 meters) carrying a pair of
   metal shears, fishing line and a plastic crate.

   On the ocean floor, small coral fragments dangle from suspended ropes,
   like socks hung on a laundry line. Simpson and other divers tend to
   this underwater nursery as gardeners mind a flower bed -- slowly and
   painstakingly plucking off snails and fireworms that feast on immature
   coral.

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