KEY WEST -- Officials said they will consider adding three types of Florida coral to the U.S. list of threatened and endangered species, making them the first species of coral under review for special protection.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service agreed to recommend whether to list elkhorn coral, staghorn coral and fused staghorn coral as threatened species. A panel of experts will make the recommendation by March.

They will be the first coral species under review for federal protection, said Jennifer Moore, a NOAA natural resource specialist.

The three kinds of coral have been considered species of special concern -- which means they were under watch -- since 1999.

The coral, which are all typically golden brown with branches like tree limbs, are largely found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Caribbean and in the Florida Keys, although some are also located off Broward County and Texas.

Many have been destroyed by coral bleaching, boat groundings and disease. In the Florida Keys, more than 90 percent of these species of coral have died in the past few decades, said Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

An Arizona-based environmental group called the Center For Biological Diversity petitioned for the review last March.

"We are very happy about this," said Adam Keats, an attorney for the center. "We are glad they are one step closer to saving this precious resource."