Australian Environment Minister Robert Hill announced yesterday that Australia would phase out commercial coral harvesting on the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living reef formation. Tourists and private individuals are forbidden from taking coral from the reef, but licensed commercial scuba divers are allowed to chip away at the coral, using hammers and chisels to harvest up to a couple hundred tons of coral a year. In other Great Barrier Reef news, the producers of the T.V. show “Survivor” issued a public apology earlier this year because two cast members took coral from the reef as souvenirs during filming.
