03/10/23 – NEW CORAL DISEASE IS KILLING CORALS QUICKLY IN FLORIDA AND THE …

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON For Immediate Release:  March 10, 2023 NEW CORAL DISEASE IS KILLING CORALS QUICKLY IN FLORIDA AND THE CARIBBEAN Hawai‘i Planning Action to Prevent Spread to Pacific Corals To view video please click on photo or view at this link: https://vimeo.com/766719685 (HONOLULU) – Insidious is the best way to describe Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). First discovered off the coast of Florida in 2014, it has now spread along the entire coast of the Sunshine State and has been detected in 23 countries and territories in the Greater Caribbean Basin. This disease kills coral tissue at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per day, which quickly kills the coral, and can affect more than 30 different species of coral. Brian Neilson, Administrator of the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) said, “The coral loss that Florida and the Caribbean are experiencing is devastating.  We want to take every measure we can to prevent this coral disease from spreading to Hawaii’s reefs.” Research has shown that disease-bearing microbes can be carried in vessel ballast water and that ballast water management systems that use ultraviolet light—the most commonly-used system to sterilize ballast water—are only
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