MARCH 2022 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 10
The challengesOur marine environment is changing. Sea surfacetemperatures are increasing and sea levels are rising.Water quality is degraded by silt and pollution.Oxygen levels and acidification are fluctuating. In theface of these impacts, stresses on marine life becomeobvious: some species are weakened and morediseases become established.It’s no surprise that some corals are now susceptibleto a new disease. Caribbean corals are currently facinga pandemic of their own. First identified in Florida in2014, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) nowaffects more than 30 species of corals in the Caribbean.It spreads rapidly and has a high mortality rate.Let’s learn what the disease looks like, how to helpprevent its spread and — should you encounteraffected corals — how to report your sightingsto help with tracking and research efforts.Coral bleachingStony coral tissue loss disease is differentfrom the coral bleaching we are familiar with.Let’s re-cap about coral bleaching. It is theresult of the environmental changes directlyrelated to heating.Coral is a combination of plant and animalliving in a symbiotic partnership. It is comprisedof tiny polyps that build shells around theirbodies and microscopic algae called zooxanthellae,which live in the tissues of the polyps. Thezooxanthellae provide the coral coloration.Environmental changes such as increasedtemperature, increased sedimentation, andpollution, plus increased exposure to sunlight,are major factors. All of these, when added to thedecrease in oxygen levels of the waters, stress thecoral. It is the coral stress response that thenexpels the zooxanthellae. This stress responsehas been recognized for the past hundred years,but has accelerated in recent decades.When the symbiotic relationship between thepolyps and the zooxanthellae is disturbed,photosynthesis fails, and the coral does notreceive food and energy — it starves. When thezooxanthellae are expelled, the coral becomestranslucent or transparent. There is still tissueon the coral skeleton but you can see throughthe coral polyps to the skeleton, which is white,leading to the term “coral bleaching.”This transparency of the coral tissue is ahallmark of coral bleaching and it’s a keyfactor in distinguishing bleaching from the newcoral disease. When coral bleaches, since thetissue is still present, there is potential forrecovery should water temperatures coolenough in time for the coral polyps to re-absorbtheir zooxanthellae.Stony Coral Tissue Loss DiseaseSCTLD is different from coral bleaching — itis an infectious disease. This disease primarilyaffects pillar, brain, star, and starlet corals. Itkills them with a hallmark signature of thecomplete loss of living tissue, which sloughsoff the diseased coral leaving a bare skeleton.The disease can be confused with bleaching,and it can look like other coral diseases oreven fish bites.Resources to assist in disease identification include:• The ID poster at Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease- Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute(https://bit.ly/3HZNcni). This poster seeks to helpCaribbean marine natural resource managersmonitor, identify and mitigate against SCTLD.• AGRRA — good for serious coral observers — athttps://bit.ly/340XNPy.• The downloadable image cards athttps://bit.ly/3FYk9OZCaribbean locations of SCTLDAreas with confirmed SCTLD infection currentlyinclude Florida, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Maarten, the USVirgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, the Turks &Caicos Islands, St. Martin, Belize, Statia, The Bahamas,Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe,the Cayman Islands, St. Lucia, Honduras, Martinique,St. Barths, and Dominica.A video created last year with commentary by diverJames Fatherree documents the speed with whichSCTLD can spread: “In September of 2020, it wasdiscovered in the waters around Roatan for the firsttime, and I saw hundreds of affected corals while therein June of 2021. That, of course, means there arethousands of corals around the island that are dyingor already dead.”Coral disease research & resourcesResearchers and managers across the Caribbean aretracking the spread of SCTLD, developing treatments andmonitoring their effectiveness, working on diseaseprevention and on ways to save the genetic diversity ofstony corals. They hope to identify the cause of thedisease and find additional ways to alleviate this disaster.Some sources of credible information and links tocontribute to Caribbean efforts include the following:• US National Oceanic & Atmospheric AdministrationNOAA Coral Reef Conservation ProgramNOAA has been a leader in providing citizens withinformation on SCTLD and disseminating bestA NEWCORAL DISEASE INTHE CARIBBEAN:Challenges, Resourcesand How to Helpby Joan Conover and Christina CarterUSVI Strike Team memberLeslie Henderson treatingdiseased coral at Cane Bayin St. Croix.practices. It recognizes different ways reef systems canbe inadvertently contaminated by watersportsactivities, including diving.• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has anexcellent website focused on the work being done inFlorida on coral disease: https://bit.ly/3oN8oF9. Itsprimary focus is to provide detailed guidance to helpprevent spread of coral disease; this includes adisinfection process recommended for dive gear, andmore. While focused on Florida reefs, much of thecoral information and the Diver Guidelines are suitablefor all areas of the Caribbean. The Florida Keys webpages include coral tagging information, observation/reporting, and excellent downloadable coral diseaseidentification cards (https://bit.ly/3uTEIdw) — amust for all citizens, cruisers and divers.• Florida Department of Environmental ProtectionThe Florida Department of Environmental Protection,partnering with NOAA, supports major coral diseaseefforts (https://bit.ly/3fTNG1O).You can also find more information and ways to helpthrough the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission athttps://myfwc.com/research/habitat/coral/disease.• Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI)A key collaborator with governmental and educationalorganizations, the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute(www.gcfi.org.) supports the exchange and disseminationof information on marine and estuary science andresources among various organizations, and facilitatescommunications between government agencies.With its focus on lionfish infestation, sargassuminflux, and SCTLD, GCFI is available to inform withpublications, conferences, videos and webinars. Incoordination with Cartagena Convention Secretariat,United Nations Environment CEP, GCFI has published,as of September, 2021, a major coral disease documentcalled the White Paper (https://bit.ly/3KAhjmO),providing status of projects from research efforts to casestudies, coral rescue/propagation efforts and more. Mostof the newest treatment research, coral propagation/relocation efforts, identification of preventative measures,and other topics of interest are included.• Atlantic Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA)With the collaboration of affiliated teams in manyareas of the Caribbean, Atlantic Gulf Rapid ReefAssessment (www.agrra.org) is doing major research oncoral disease and coral bleaching. Its research hasproduced maps outlining coral populations, disease(www.agrra.org/coral-disease-outbreak) and bleaching(www.agrra.org/coral-bleaching), as well as providingreports based on surveys of coral colonies by governmentstaff, nonprofit organizations, and volunteers. Volunteerssuch as cruisers and concerned locals reporting theirfindings have significantly expanded its research.Additionally, AGRRA supports a digital dashboard tool,the Interactive Caribbean SCTLD Dashboard(https://bit.ly/3AuDUMN). This includes mapsJOE SNYDERand statistics on countries affected,management response activities, and surveydata sheets. The pattern seen for SCTLDspread in the Caribbean is very informative.• The Puerto Rico Department of Naturaland Environmental ResourcesThis department has implemented a CoralReef Emergency Response and Outreachprogram that includes a coral programwebsite, field response guides and YouTubechannels. See https://bit.ly/3GYYPu7.• USVI Coral Disease Advisory CommitteeCoral research In the US Virgin Islands issupported by the University of the VirginIslands, and is spearheaded by the USVI CoralDisease Advisory Committee (www.vicoraldisease.org). The site has reports,resources, and digital dashboards with programinformation. Find the USVI Digital DiseaseTracking Desktop at www.vicoraldisease.org/sctld-disease-tracking. The link includes mapswith over 467 citizen science reports between2019 and 2022, with 1,157 completed surveys.For response and intervention, there is theUSVI Strike Team Interventions Dashboard(www.vicoraldisease.org/sctld-strike-teams).The strike teams include specially traineddivers implementing the latest interventionsshown to be effective against SCTLD disease,including the application of antibiotic pastedeveloped specifically for corals. The membersof these teams are also assigned to investigatereported sightings.HOW YOU CAN HELPDon’t spread it!Stony coral tissue loss disease is water-borne.As a boater, be aware of how to prevent thespread of the disease: for example, if you havebeen in areas with SCTLD don’t pump out bilgewater or holding tanks near coral reefs in otherareas. You might also encounter reefs that arebeing quarantined and where access for visitorsis temporarily affected; please respect this.Divers and snorkelers, see the excellent tipsat https://bit.ly/3teQAV8.Do report it!Private citizens’ observations — many eyes under thewater — will assist in the identification of diseasespread. Reporting can also help identify progress intreatment efforts. If you suspect that you might haveseen the coral disease, you can help researchers bytaking photos of the coral and surrounding reef,noting the location and reporting your sighting. If yousee tagged corals, please take date-stamped photosshowing the tag and submit with location to the localcoral reef managers.One of the ways concerned citizens can reportsightings and observations is via the AGRRAexperimental-interventions website tool atwww.agrra.org/experimental-interventions. Fill outthe online survey form, providing as much informationas possible regarding the coral species affected and thelocation, and upload any photos.Alternatively, interested persons can emailinformation to info@agrra.org.Other sites that welcome citizen scientistobservations are:The Florida SEAFAN reporting system:https://bit.ly/3KGXdXW.The VI_CDAC reporting system:https://bit.ly/3577NHt.The Seven Seas Cruising Association (www.ssca.org)will submit Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease as a key2022 Clean Wake priority project and will collaboratewith some of the organizations mentioned in thisarticle. The Clean Wake projects focus on environmentaland critical emergent needs of communities impactedby climate changes or emergencies, support citizenscientist efforts, and act as a focal point for cruisersinterested in offering their talents wherever they roam.Further articles in Compass will explore more waysthat boaters can get involved by providing uniqueobservations and assistance.MARCH 2022 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 11
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