A lawsuit filed by a conservation group in US District Court for the District of Alaska argues that fisheries managers haven't done enough to protect coral gardens on the Gulf of Alaska seafloor from bottom trawling.

The Alaska Beacon reports that the Washington, D.C.-based environmental group Oceana filed its complaint Monday (Aug. 21), claiming that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) hasn't factored the coral gardens into its current management practices, and many have been damaged by the fishing gear.

It's the latest effort by Oceana to restrict bottom trawling in the area. The Beacon reports Oceana previously requested that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council close 90% of the area to the gear group.

"If not destroyed by trawling, some corals and sponges can live for hundreds or thousands of years. They provide complex habitat for fish and other species, including commercially important species like rockfish, crab, and prawns," the lawsuit argues.