Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease: What is it and How Can You Help?

BY MADySON MILLER

“It was startling to drop down on what was supposed to be an unaffected, healthy reef and see stark white coral skeleton all around. That reef had been confirmed free of disease less than a month prior, but now we were surrounded by corals already showing upwards of 30% mortality.” -Kayla Budd, 2019 UVI Master of Marine and Environmental Science Candidate, Fact Sheet Project Coordinator

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) was first discovered in Miami-Dade County, Florida following the dredging of Port Miami and potentially triggered by the poor water quality of the area. Arriving in the St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands (USVI) in January of 2019, possibly by ballast water, the disease has decimated coral reefs showing no remorse (Virgin Islands Coral Disease Advisory Committee, 2020). The map below shows the spread of SCTLD around St. Thomas, USVI; as you can see the disease has quickly engulfed the island and has started making its way to neighboring islands such as St. John, USVI. 

SCTLD Spread in St. Thomas, USVI – Photo by Ashley Ruffo – Virgin Islands Coral Disease Advisory Committee

Unlike other coral diseases such as, white plague, SCTLD is a fast-moving disease that infects the tissue of reef-building, scleractinian corals. It creates small lesions on the coral which then spreads and can kill an entire coral colony in less than 2 weeks. 

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease – Photo by Kayla Budd (@kayb.images)

Researchers at the University of the Virgin Islands are desperate to uncover the secrets of this devastating disease. The 2019 Master of Marine and Environmental Science students came together to understand how SCTLD is impacting the diversity within the St. Thomas coral reef ecosystems. During the months of January and February, students resampled over 51 sites from NOAA’s National Coral Reef Monitoring Program’s 2017 or 2019 data. Similar coral demographic and benthic methodology was adapted and used in their sampling. Benthic divers used the line point intercept (LPI) technique and the demographic divers assessed corals using a belt transect technique. Luckily, they were able to sample from a variety of different reefs with varying conditions. Some reefs had high species richness, with no SCTLD present, while some had low species richness and were covered with SCTLD, and vice versa. Sometimes divers would descend on reefs that were previously recorded as “SCLTD free” only to find the disease everywhere, proving just how quickly it spreads. The 2019 cohort was able to finish their field work before the Covid-19 pandemic really escalated in the United States. However, transitioning a large group project completely to an online platform has had several challenges. 

“Communication is always key when working on a large group project and within a big group, but especially when you are all of a sudden working remotely. I think we all had to learn to adjust and work together to create this incredibly impactful product.” -Sophia Costa, UVI Master of Marine and Environmental Science Candidate, Data Analysis Project Co-coordinator

Rest stop – Photo by Kayla Budd (@kayb.images)

Now trapped in the world of back to back zoom meetings, the real work began. The 2019 cohort data analysis team spent weeks running and rerunning data. After hours of work, they finally started seeing distinct trends in the data. As SCTLD has spread throughout St. Thomas, USVI, the susceptibility of species has remained relatively similar with a few key differences as seen previously in other regions of the Caribbean. However, diversity on a particular reef could be a good indication for the potential loss of species. 

Fieldwork days – Photo by Madyson Miller (@madyloveswhales)

While some members of the cohort were focused on data analysis, others were dedicated to getting the message across to the world. Due to the global pandemic, the outreach team was forced to perform a virtual project that involved no human contact. Together they developed the idea to run a social media campaign called “Stony Coral Tissue Loss Awareness Week 2020” (@uvimmes). During the week (which was featured in April on Women in Ocean Science), a new challenge or fact about SCTLD was released on all three major social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This campaign grabbed the attention of 18k individuals from all around the globe, with a webinar called, “Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and the Ecological Consequences of its Spread,” reaching over 160 participants. Additionally, the fact sheet team put together an informative document for managers and members of the local Virgin Islands community about SCTLD and what can be done about it (see below). 

“While we were originally supposed to do a more localized outreach event, the pandemic actually turned things up a notch for us. We diverted to a social media campaign called #SCTLDAwarenessWeek2020. This campaign reached 18k people globally! Outreach and education are truly the most impactful and important ways to increase the awareness of this raging coral disease.” – Madyson Miller, 2019 UVI Master of Marine and Environmental Science Candidate, Outreach Project Coordinator

Fact Sheet, *information might change as new data comes in* - Graphic by Kayla Budd, Stephanie Hibberts, Kelsey Vaughn, Sophie Costa, Matthew Souza

This brings us to the question: How Can You Help?

If you are living in an infected area and are an active boater or diver, it is important to follow proper cleaning and maintenance protocols or regulations for all personal gear, whilst also holding all dive, marina, and tourist companies accountable. Spreading the word about SCTLD to help #StoptheSpread has never been more important. On top of the other severe pressures coral reefs are facing including overfishing, rising sea surface temperatures, and habitat destruction, the disease is just a new addition to the ongoing war coral reefs are battling. The last thing you can do if you live in an infected area is to report new cases! If you see SCTLD report it to your local coral disease advisor committee. If you are located in the Virgin Islands, you can report new cases here: https://www.vicoraldisease.org/.

If you are not in an infected area there are still several ways you can help #StoptheSpread of this dreadful coral disease. Taking time to learn about the SCTLD will allow you to educate fellow peers, scientists, and family about the severity of this deadly disease. Since this disease is expected to continue rapidly spreading through the Caribbean, and with poor regulations on ballast water possibly to other regions of the world, being prepared to tackle this disease is essential. If you are a coral scientist, learn how you can best prepare for potential infection by following up on scientific literature and talking to scientists who are struggling to save their reefs. 

We only have one ocean. We only have one chance to get it right. We need to act now if we want to have a future where the oceans no longer have to suffer at the hands of human actions anymore. 

 “The first time I saw stony coral tissue loss disease, I knew it could mean the end of these beautiful coral reefs that I grew up with, unless we act now!” - Kaya Carrión Banuchi, 2019 UVI Master of Marine and Environmental Science Candidate, Fieldwork Project Coordinator

2019 UVI Master of Marine and Environmental Science Cohort – Photo by Lorraine Buckley, PhD (@uvimmes)