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The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council on Friday approved plans that will ban deep sea bottom trawling from 23,000 square miles of coral habitat.

The federal agency approved the first part of the plan for three large deep sea coral reef sites off the coasts of North and South Carolina, Florida and Georgia - comprising the largest area of coral habitat along the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

The proposal, which will be submitted for public comment, will continue to allow for less damaging fishing practices in the same area.

Deep water coral reefs and pinnacles grow very slowly and without the help of sunlight, relying instead on food captured directly from the ocean. According to environmental advocates, deep sea bottom trawling is the primary and most immediate threat to the corals.