NOAA Rolls Out New Online Resource for Coral Disease Outbreak in Florida

By Press Release Conservation News Sep 22, 2018

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is sharing a new online resource that provides information about the response to a coral disease outbreak in Florida.

The coral-disease outbreak began in 2014. So far, the outbreak is unprecedented in terms of geographic range, duration, high rates of mortality and the number of coral species affected. Nearly half of the stony coral species that make up the Florida Reef Tract are suffering. These include the primary reef-building species in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Coral disease in stony corals

NOAA is calling this stony-coral tissue loss a disease because it only affects stony corals. NOAA is one of several agencies, academic, and non-profit organizations responding to the outbreak. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the lead response agency.

Stony coral tissue loss disease progresses rapidly once stony corals are infected. This coral lost 60 percent of its living tissue over the course of roughly a month. Photos: Brian Reckenbeil/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Scientists document stony coral tissue loss disease as it infects nearly two dozen stony coral species on the Florida Reef Tract. Photo: Nick Zachar/NOAA

This outbreak, and response, is ongoing. NOAA and the State of Florida have brought together coral experts to document the outbreak, identify the causes, understand the spread of the disease, and to identify and develop innovative, advanced treatments that may slow or stop the disease from spreading.

This web portal will be the primary location for public information about the Florida coral disease event.