Got Reef?

A 32' boat receives massive fine:
Maui News $550,000 fine levied for sunken tour boat

I'm still searching for details about this, including who was the "salvage specialist" that was mentioned, but cases like this might get the attention of insurance companies who are outraged when asked to pay 10-20% of insured value to keep a boat from sinking.

Pollution prevention and protection of ecological areas like reefs, shellfish beds, and protected marine environments is the future of marine salvage, just as it has become in the blue water, large ship salvage industry.

Next time you send a bill for keeping a boat from sinking or off the beach, and the insurance company says "but, you didn't do anything but tow the boat [or pump the boat]" send them this article and suggest you may have saved them a huge fine. I know we all don't have fragile reefs in our area, but which beaches or oceans do the insurance companies want to say are expendable?