What is Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD)?
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD, pronounced “skittle”) is a disease of corals that first appeared off the southeast coast of Florida in 2014. By 2019 it had spread along the Florida Keys, reaching Dominica in 2021.
The disease destroys the soft tissue of at least 22 species of reef-building corals, killing them within weeks or months of becoming infected. The only way to fight SCTLD is to administer ana ntibiotic amoxicillin mixed with a marine-safe epoxy to the coral via a syringe. Treated corals are then monitored and re-treated as needed.
At Nature Island Dive, we have spent countless hours monitoring, treating and re-treating the coral in the marine reserve, with the hope that by keeping these hard corals alive, they can reproduce and eventually be used to re-populate the region.
Learn more about SCTLD
Learn more about SCTLD here – Understanding Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease
SCTLD Quick Facts
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