Abstract

Coral disease is increasingly recognized as a major driver of coral reef decline and benthic community structure. While the Florida Reef Tract (FRT) faces a myriad of chronic environmental stressors, it is currently experiencing a devastating, multi-year coral disease outbreak. Termed ‘Scleractinian Tissue Loss Disease,’ this disease was first observed off Miami-Dade County in late 2014 and, as of summer 2018, has spread unabated through >200 linear miles of the FRT with no signs of slowing or stopping. This disease affects roughly half of Florida’s 45 reef building coral species and has a nearly 100% mortality rate of colonies exhibiting disease signs. It is estimated that this disease had already killed millions of coral colonies on the FRT, substantially altering species distributions and densities (including extirpating certain species from affected reefs) and threatening the reproductive capacity of some systems. In response to this outbreak, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has been coordinating a partnership of federal and state agencies, academic researchers, veterinarians, private industry professionals, and citizen scientists in ongoing disease investigations, monitoring, and management responses. One component of these efforts is the development of novel coral disease intervention methodologies, including targeted colony treatments and reef-scale disease management frameworks. This presentation will cover the current knowledge about the disease, status of the outbreak, management response, and lessons learned thus far. Due to the severity of this disease and the uniqueness of the management response, these efforts may provide a foundation for future coral disease management and conservation in the Atlantic-Caribbean basin and beyond.

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