4.7 Article

Management responses in Belize and Honduras, as stony coral tissue loss disease expands its prevalence in the Mesoamerican reef

期刊

FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
卷 9, 期 -, 页码 -

出版社

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.883062

关键词

coral disease; SCTLD; Belize; Honduras; Mesoamerican Reef

资金

  1. Healthy Reefs Initiative
  2. Summit Foundation
  3. Mesoamerican Reef Fund
  4. Smithsonian Institution
  5. Swiss Cooperation
  6. MPA Connect
  7. Belize Marine Fund

向作者/读者索取更多资源

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) has spread in Caribbean coral reef colonies, and Belize and Honduras have approached its management in different ways but with the same goal of evaluating and controlling the disease. Treatment with amoxicillin trihydrate powder and Coral Ointment Base2B has proven effective in halting the disease's spread and reducing mortality rates. Both countries have also continued to monitor the disease and share information. Reducing anthropogenic factors is crucial for supporting coral reef health and resilience.
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) has affected Caribbean coral reef colonies since it was first detected in Florida in 2014. Its rapid spread and virulent nature are a major concern to coastal nations in the Caribbean Sea. Belize and Honduras have approached their management and strategies in somewhat different ways, but with the same goal of evaluating and controlling the spread and reducing mortality rates of their coral colonies. They both used amoxicillin trihydrate powder with Coral Ointment Base2B which proved effective in halting the spread of the disease and lowered mortality rates in treated corals. In addition to treatment, both countries have continued to monitor the extent of the disease, entering the data into the collaborative disease tracker platform on AGRRA.org. Between October 2020 and November 2021, a total of 14,495 corals from 29 species were assessed at sites in Belize and Honduras that were affected by SCTLD. The overall prevalence (all coral species) of SCTLD at these sites was 14%. Three species (Meandrina meandrites, Dendrogyra clyindrus and Dichocoenia stokesi) were in the top affected species in both countries, with 42%, 38% and 32% SCTLD prevalence, respectively. The sharing of information allowed Belize and Honduras to be relatively prepared for the onset of SCTLD in their waters through a series of monitoring and intervention actions. Although the treatment has proved to be somewhat effective, it is time and labor intensive. Reducing other well-known anthropogenic including sewage and dredging, is key to supporting coral reef health and resiliency.

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