Florida's Coral Reef Disease Outbreak

Historic spawning of restored massive corals

A restored colony of mountainous star coral releases gametes into the water column. Photo: Joe Berg

For the first time in Florida or Caribbean waters, restored massive corals were observed spawning - part of sexual reproduction that could result in the next generation of coral offspring - thanks to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium's innovative efforts to restore Florida's Coral Reef. In August 2020, Mote coral scientists observed colonies of mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata) on a reef near Cook Island release their gametes in an extraordinary display. This is the first time that restored massive corals have been documented to spawn on Florida’s Coral Reef.

Aquarium succeeds in second lab-induced spawning of threatened species

Rare pillar coral spawns under artificial conditions at The Florida Aquarium Coral Conservation Complex in Apollo Beach. Photo: The Florida Aquarium

The Atlantic pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) successfully spawned for the second consecutive year at The Florida Aquarium Center for Conservation’s Induced Coral Spawning Lab. A total of 14 corals spawned over three days, and larvae were created through assisted fertilization of 11 separate genotypes. The original collection locations of the corals range from Northern Miami to Sand Key Sanctuary Preservation Area, 7 miles west of Key West. All but one tiny piece of the parent colonies are now dead in the wild. Larvae were settled at The Florida Aquarium and additional larvae were transferred to Nova Southeastern University and the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. The Pillar Coral Genetic Rescue Project is conducted under Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary permit to Dr. Cynthia Lewis at Keys Marine Laboratory and Dr. Karen Neely at Nova Southeastern University.

Mote expands coral restoration work

Mote plans to build a land-based coral nursery in Islamorada, Florida, at Bud N' Mary's Marina. (Photo: Conor Gould/Mote)

On June 8, 2020, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium announced plans to build an additional land-based coral nursery in Islamorada, Florida, and an expanded coral gene bank in Sarasota County, Florida. Corals raised in the Islamorada nursery will support Mission: Iconic Reefs and Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education. I.CARE engages citizen-divers to help outplant and monitor Mote-supplied coral fragments onto Islamorada's reefs. The gene bank, purposefully chosen to be built at an inland location, will be housed in a Category 5 hurricane resistant building, with state-of-the-art environmental systems and controls.

Annual Florida Coral Disease Technical Workshop held virtually

In late May, the Annual Florida Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Technical Workshop brought together experts focused on developing research priorities, establishing techniques for scaling up intervention activities responsibly, enhancing communication strategies, and engaging with Caribbean partners. Nearly 200 individuals from over a dozen countries and territories were represented. Outcomes from the virtual workshop will guide the next year of activities including utilizing probiotics to build coral resilience, continuing coral propagation activities, and communicating unified messages about Florida's Coral Reef.

New dashboard tracks coral disease in the Caribbean

As stony coral tissue loss disease spreads in the Caribbean region, a new online tool is tracking its progression and recording the efforts made to control and respond to the threat. Natural resource managers and their partners across the Caribbean region are actively exchanging information and sharing best practices about coral disease monitoring, treatment and outreach.

MPAConnect, a partnership between the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute and NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program with a network of 32 MPAs in 11 Caribbean countries/territories, and the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Program collaborated on the development of a GIS-based dashboard as a new online tool. Maps on the dashboard show the presence of stony coral tissue loss disease around the region, a time lapse of its progression and the most affected coral species.

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) status report for Florida's Coral Reef

The report highlights the need to continue efforts to reduce the threats contributing to their decline in order to restore resilience to this valuable resource. It also reinforces the urgent need for more active restoration to bring back ecosystem function and ecosystem services critical to the way of life and economy of South Florida. The report is the product of collaboration among the NOAA Coral Program and numerous partners, including the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Integration and Application Network, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Nova Southeastern University, U.S. National Park Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, University of Miami, Miami-Dade County, The Nature Conservancy, Broward County, and University of South Florida.

Florida launches reef restoration and awareness campaign

During Super Bowl LIV Week in Miami, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Noah Valenstein, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Executive Director Eric Sutton and other partners to kickoff 100 Yards of Hope and announce a new initiative to promote awareness and protection of Florida’s Coral Reef ecosystem.

100 Yards of Hope is a coral reef restoration project in conjunction with FORCE BLUE to plant 100 yards of coral while also honoring the NFL’s 100th season and America’s military veterans. FORCE BLUE is the only non-profit organization in the world that retrains and redeploys former Special Operations veterans to assist in marine conservation efforts.

The Governor also announced a new awareness campaign created by DEP and other partners called Florida’s Coral Reef, which aims to increase recognition and cultivate a sense of environmental stewardship for Florida’s Coral Reef. To learn more about Florida’s Coral Reef and the multi-partner efforts to protect it, please visit www.FloridasCoralReef.org.

NOAA, partners launch groundbreaking Florida Keys coral reef restoration effort

In collaboration with state and local partners, on December 9, 2019, NOAA announced a bold strategy to restore and preserve seven coral reef sites in the Florida Keys, part of an unprecedented, decades-long effort to revitalize the region’s highly diverse and economically valuable marine ecosystem.

The project, Mission: Iconic Reefs calls for restoring nearly three million square feet of the Florida’s Coral Reef, about the size of 52 football fields, one of the largest strategies ever proposed in the field of coral restoration. Over the next year and beyond, NOAA will support this effort and work with outside partners to secure additional public and private funds.

"NOAA is fundamentally changing its approach to coral reef restoration by proactively intervening to restore reef health and improve ecological function," said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator. "Bold and decisive action has the very real potential to save one of the largest and most economically important reef ecosystems in the world before it’s too late."

Divers outplant staghorn coral at Carysfort Reef in the Florida Keys. (Photo: Alexander Neufeld/Coral Restoration Foundation)