What is stony coral tissue loss disease?

And more important, how do we stop it?

In September 2014, researchers noticed that certain stony corals along the Florida Reef Tract weren’t doing so well. The Florida Reef Tract stretches approximately 360 miles in an arc along the Florida Keys and southeastern Florida. It’s currently the world’s third largest reef.

In Miami-Dade County, of Virginia Key, corals were showing “small circular or irregular patches of white, exposed skeleton devoid of tissue,” explains Dr. Andy Bruckner, research coordinator for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. From there, the tissue would slough off, leaving the stark white skeleton exposed until algae colonized it. The disease, he explains, “radiates across the colony and outward.”

Click the image to watch the sad progression of stony coral tissue disease along Florida’s East Coast.

And spread outward it did—the stony coral tissue loss disease has since been found in the Lower Florida Keys.

This spells trouble for the reefs, and for the creatures and people who depend on them. The reefs of the Florida Keys provide food and recreational opportunities for residents and vacationers alike, and they can protect coastal communities since they serve as a buffer for hurricanes and other storms.

Worldwide, coral reefs support approximately 25 percent of all known marine species. Reefs provide homes for more than 4,000 species of fish, 700 species of coral, and thousands of other plants and animals.

The architects of coral reefs are hard corals. Unlike soft corals, hard corals have stony skeletons made out of limestone that are produced by coral polyps. When polyps die, their skeletons are left behind and used as foundations for new polyps. An actual coral branch or mound is composed of layer upon layer of skeletons covered by a thin layer of living polyps.

Scientists believe the disease is likely caused by a bacterial infection carried by currents, but little else is known.

As Joanna Walczak, southeast regional administrator at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection puts it, “this is an all hands on deck situation, requiring an unprecedented effort and response.”

Partners from universities, nonprofits, and government agencies have joined the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to understand the disease and how it can be stopped.

What can we do?

To stop the spread of contamination from one dive site to another, experts have a few recommendations for divers/snorkelers and swimmers.

Dos

Inspect dive gear equipment and remove any debris between each dive
ALWAYS Sanitize non-sensitive gear with a bleach solution
For sensitive gear, wash with copious amounts of fresh water
Move from “healthiest” site to “dirtiest” site
Always decontaminate regulators, gauges and computers
Use a reef-healthy sunscreen

Don’ts

Never leave any debris on dive/snorkel gear
Don’t move from a diseased site to a healthy site
Don’t dispose of disinfectant or waste into the ocean or a storm drain

“This collaborative response effort is vitally important,” says Sarah Fangman, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary superintendent. “The broad knowledge provided by all our partners working together has resulted in the development of a variety of interventions.” Together, these partners hope to develop an effective treatment.

Learn more what scientists are doing to learn about stony coral tissue loss.

–Erin

On a Mission: Heroes plant 500 corals in a single day assist in coral restoration.

Stellar scientists, hero veterans and future leaders recently planted 500 corals near Looe Key in the Florida Keys, marking the sixth year of a unique partnership involving science, conservation and coral restoration.

Members of the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge (CWVC) and SCUBAnauts International joined forces with scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory on June 27th for the record-breaking mission on the reef. The number of corals planted marked the most-ever the groups have planted in a single day since they began working together in 2012.
In total, they have planted more than 1,600 corals in an area unofﬁcially named “Hero’s Reef” honoring all current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

CWVC improves the lives of wounded and injured veterans through rehabilitative, high-adventure and therapeutic outdoor challenges while furthering the physiological, biomedical and pathological sciences associated with their injuries. The veterans who participate in the outdoor challenges have suffered from traumatic brain injuries, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or have lost limbs.

SCUBAnauts International involves teens in the marine sciences with intensive dive and science training. Through its partnerships with universities and research organizations, SCUBAnauts learn to take charge as they work on innovative projects that positively impact our oceans, such as this coral restoration.

Combined efforts from Mote, Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge, and the SCUBAnauts, planted 500 Stagorn Coral on Hope Reef on Tuesday, June 27th, 2017.

Ten years ago, Mote established an underwater coral nursery where scientists grow colonies of the threatened staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) for replanting and coral restoration on decimated or damaged sections of reef within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

When the colonies reach a suitable size, small fragments (nearly 2 inches long) are snipped off and used to create a new colony—similar to the way new plants are grown from cuttings of existing plants. These cuttings are then mounted on the reef so they can grow and develop into new colonies.

Mote has more than 10,000 colonies of staghorn coral in its underwater nursery, including more than 85 genotypes, allowing researchers to determine which corals have the heartiest genetic makeup and the best chances of survival. To date, Mote has planted more than 40,000 reef-building coral fragments to help restore Florida’s reef. Mote is also working on a new coral micro-fragmenting technology that is enabling the organization to regenerate larger reef-building boulder corals on the reefs. Mote’s goal is to continue working in partnership with these and other groups to plant more than a million corals.

“This is really a wonderful annual event,” said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, Mote president and CEO. “I don’t know of any other partnership like this involving really innovative science, young citizen scientists and veterans who are sharing their leadership skills. But this event has broader impacts beyond just doing great science. Coral reefs are on the way toward extinction because of decades of human impacts. They were already stressed, and now we have increasing temperatures, increasing acidity and more diseases that are pushing them past their tipping point. If we lose coral reefs, we’ll lose the oceans and if we lose our oceans, we’ll lose the very oxygen we need to survive.”

By Hayley Rutger, Mote Marine Laboratory for Southern Boating September 2017

PHOTOS: CONOR GOULDING/MOTE MARINE LABORATORY

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Tag: Keys