Florida Reef Tract Coral Disease Outbreak

Mexican marine park managers visit Florida

Managers from four Mexican marine national parks visited the Florida Keys in December 2018 to learn about stony coral tissue loss disease, which they now strongly suspect is affecting reefs in the Mexican Caribbean. Other Caribbean resource managers have expressed similar concerns. Mexico has initiated a regional monitoring program and is actively networking with international colleagues. The visitors saw first-hand the impact of the disease on Florida's coral reefs, and the likely cascading impacts on fisheries and tourism. They also examined management strategies such as dive gear disinfection. Marine national park managers in the region are connected through MPAConnect, a partnership among the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and 30 Caribbean marine national parks.

Conference features Florida disease intervention science

The interventions being employed against stony coral tissue loss disease on the Florida Reef Tract found a spotlight at Reef Futures, the first global conference addressing coral restoration and intervention science. The groundbreaking symposium, held in Key Largo, Florida, Dec. 10-14, 2018, tackled the challenges facing coral reefs globally by sharing available solutions, promising new research, and experimental techniques. A number of scientists involved in the collaborative response to stony coral tissue loss disease shared their findings and welcomed assistance in addressing the historic outbreak. While immediate and aggressive action on climate change is paramount for the long-term survival of reefs, conference participants concurred that repopulating degraded reefs with resilient, genetically-diverse, and reproductively-viable corals is also essential.

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Case Definition

This document compiles existing information on SCTLD and presents criteria to differentiate it from other coral diseases based on:

• Species susceptibility
• Diagnosis
• Transmission
• Prevalence
• Patterns of spread
• Rates of tissue loss

Note: This case definition is ever evolving and will be updated periodically. Scientific investigation continues into the cause and effect of the stony coral tissue loss disease and potential management and reef restoration strategies.

Divers and snorkelers: Decontaminate your gear

Divers and snorkelers can reduce their likelihood of transferring stony coral tissue loss disease through proper buoyancy, avoiding touching marine organisms and sanitizing equipment between dives and before and after each dive excursion, especially when travelling between countries or between infected and uninfected locations.

General Guidelines

• Remove debris and sediment following each dive.
• Between dives, sanitize gear that contacts corals with a bleach solution. Other gear should be washed in freshwater with an antibacterial soap.
• Use quaternary ammonium solutions to decontaminate dive gear after return to shore.
• Properly dispose of disinfectant solutions and rinse water in a sink, tub or shower. Never pour into the ocean or a storm drain.

(Note: Quaternary ammonium wastewaters may upset septic systems and leak into groundwater.)

Detailed Decontamination Guidelines

FORCE BLUE to deploy to the Florida Keys

Recognizing the urgency of the coral disease threat and the fact that the strategies and in-water techniques used to combat stony coral tissue loss disease will have implications far beyond Florida, FORCE BLUE is committing to supporting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The nonprofit organization of former military divers will spend the winter of 2018-19 in the Florida Keys assisting with disease interventions and other response efforts.

Stony Coral Population Study

The authors of a paper published in Frontiers of Marine Science describe the stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak as an "ecosystem altering event" in Southeast Florida. Using population data from the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (SECREMP), the study showed lower stony coral diversity, density and live tissue area related to increased disease prevalence from Miami-Dade to Martin County. The study noted particularly steep declines in some susceptible species including Maze coral (Meandrina meandrites), Elliptical Star coral (Dichocoenia stokesii), Great Star coral (Montastraea cavernosa) and Massive Starlet coral (Siderastea siderea), but also described increases in 'weedy' coral species such as Mustard Hill coral (Porites astreoides), Finger coral (Porites porites) and Lettuce corals (Agaricia spp).