MIAMI, April 25 (UPI) -- Construction officials have come up with a series of safeguards for marine life endangered by explosions planned to deepen a channel at the Port of Miami.
Among the precautions will be spotters in helicopters looking out for dead manatees, turtles and dolphins, The Miami Herald said Monday.
"We're being very conservative," said Terri Jordan, a biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The corps views the project as a test of blasting in coastal waters and whether it can be efficient and environmentally sound.
Environmentalists said they are concerned that there are few precautions for fish.
Among them are the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials who are organizing a flotilla of volunteers to look for floating fish carcasses during the operation next month.
The project was first begun in 1999 but was halted by environmental regulators after traditional dredging measures were found killing acres of sea grass.
