SCTLD

STONY CORAL TISSUE LOSS DISEASE
(SCTLD)

BACKGROUND:
Scientists first observed a new coral disease in late 2014 off Miami, Florida and have since seen massive die-offs in nearly half of the stony coral species along a stretch of reef extending over 250 miles along the Florida Reef Tract. Since late 2018, the disease has started spreading onto reefs in the neighbouring US Virgin Islands, as well as St. Maarten, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico.

The disease has been termed Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) to describe impacted coral species as well as the visual appearance of the lesions (i.e. tissue loss) caused by the disease. Although the specific pathogen(s) has not been identified, research has confirmed transmission can rapidly occur through physical contact or can be water-borne. Laboratory and field trials arresting the disease via antibiotics suggests a bacterial component to the disease.

Well over $1m in funding has already been spent by the state of Florida alone to identify the cause of the disease, identify mitigative and best practice measures as well as research into preventative actions. Numerous reef management meetings and workshops previously held in Florida have identified intervention action (identification & use of antibiotics) as the primary action to prevent disease progression on individual colonies, to preserve colonies that would otherwise be lost, and potentially treat entire sites to try to maintain ecosystems.

Currently, to our knowledge, the disease has not officially spread to the BVI but ARK has started visiting key dive sites specifically seeking any evidence of its presence. We are also in the process of putting together a "Rescue Kit" with the antibiotics known to stop the disease from spreading. Because this lethal coral disease has the potential to rapidly kill numerous coral species here in the BVI that are vital to tourism, fish habitat and coastal protection, we are seeking help from the local community and visitors diving and/or snorkelling in the Territory to help us find any outbreaks of the disease.

Areas in red along the Florida Reef Tract currently impacted by SCTLD. (Credit M. Martinelli).

Red dots indicate confirmed cases of SCTLD. (Map: E. Otwell / C. Martin sciencenews.org / Data Source: P.R. Kramer, J. Lang / AGGRA 2019).

WE NEED YOUR HELP

SCTLD is an aggressive, lethal coral disease that is killing about half of the stony coral species in Florida, USVI, St. Maarten, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica and is rapidly spreading throughout the rest of the region. The cause of the disease is unknown, but it is transmittable through water and leaves behind large areas of bright white skeleton. Within a matter of weeks, corals can die. It does NOT pose a threat to human health, but damages corals that provide habitat for fish, tourism value, and physical protection from waves during storms.