Scientists say damaged underwater mountain chain near Hawaii is making an amazing comeback

A coral reef near Honolulu.
(Image credit: Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

After fearing the worst, scientists were excited to discover baby corals slowly growing along the Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain.

In a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, researchers from Florida State University and Texas A&M University wrote about the underwater mountain range, which was damaged in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s by trawling. That fishing practice, which involves dragging nets along the seafloor, disturbed the area, severely harming deep-sea corals and sponges.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.