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local Friday 26 august 2022

Department of Nature and Environment:

Detecting Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease in Aruba

The Department of Nature
and Environment (DNM)
wishes to share important
information regarding a
phenomenon taking place
in the marine life in certain
dive sites in the Caribbean
islands, and particularly
there is worry in Bonaire
about the presence of this
coral disease.

The name of the disease
affecting the corals is Stony
Coral Tissue Loss Disease
(SCTLD). The department
is worried because the dis-
ease is very aggressive and
can be deadly for the col-
ony of corals, and thus af-
fects the quality of our ma-
rine life in the region.
In this article, DNM wishes
to explain what this disease
does to corals, how it mani- in Aruba there is a case of park, but inevitably the trate diving gear or snorkel other waters, for example,
fested in Bonaire, how it is suspected infection. Aruba disease manifested at two gear which is used in wa- another site where the dis-
transmitted, and what we itself did not receive a noti- diving sites. After carrying ters containing the disease. ease is not present.
can do to prevent it here in fication of this alert. out investigations this past
Aruba in order to help miti- 22 and 23 of July, Bonaire What can be done to miti- The second step requires
gate the problem. In 2021, Bonaire also pre- closed two diving sites, one gate the disease? informing the authorities
pared a plan for the pos- being Karpata and the Two things are recom- managing Aruba’s marine
What does SCTLD do? sible arrival of SCTLD fo- other La Dania’s Leap, as a mended: disinfect diving park, the National Park
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Dis- cused on prevention in consequence of the pres- gear and alert authorities if Arikok Foundation, as well
ease destroys the soft tis- order to mitigate problems ence of SCTLD. any strange phenomenon as DNM. If you notice weird
sue that covers coral, and which could arise. The or- is noticed on the corals. For or suspicious coral, try to
can affect 30 types of coral ganization what manages How is the disease transmit- the first step of disinfecting take a picture of these and
that exist in the marine life the marine park in Bonaire, ted? diving gear, it is recom- send it to info@dnm-aruba.
which are the ones form- STINAPA published an arti- The disease can be trans- mended to put the gear in org, as well as information
ing and growing our reefs. cle alerting the community mitted in the water contam- drinking water containing about the photographer. If
When the disease attacks and with the help of the inated with the disease, for 1% bleach solution, and for possible, give authorization
the coral, the result can Dutch Caribbean Nature example, in ballast water sensitive gear, this can be to use the picture to be in-
be fatal because it can kill Alliance (DCNA) some de- in big cargo ships. Ballast left for 10 minutes in a dis- cluded in investigations to
an entire colony of coral in cisions were made to miti- water is the water that was infectant solution appropri- help prevent the spread of
only a few weeks or months gate the problem. used to balance the boat ate for the gear. It is nec- SCTLD in our waters in Aru-
after infection. They alerted the visitors when it’s unloading weight. essary to let it dry before ba.
on how to use the marine The disease can also pene- transporting and using it in
It can affect the coral se- What DNM finds important
verely. SCTLD is consid- is detection in the earlier
ered the most dangerous phases, in order to be able
and deadly among coral to take action to mitigate
diseases, and it manifests the problem. Doing nothing
rather quickly. It must not is not an option because it
be confused with coral would mean the loss of a
bleaching, these are two huge amount of coral.
different phenomenon.
DNM is pending particularly
DNM noted that almost on diving schools, divers,
a year ago Bonaire pub- fishermen and water activ-
lished information regard- ity centers for information.
ing the disease and its The information collected
spread in the Caribbean from Bonaire is available on
and Florida. Back then, STI- the webpage of STINAPA.
NAPA (non-governmental They also did a very in-
organization responsible formative webinar on the
for the management of the topic of Stony Coral Tissue
national parks on Bonaire) Loss Disease in 2021, and
mentioned during a we- this can also be found on
binar that they still hadn’t their YouTube channel, as
found any corals with the well as shared on the social
disease in their waters, but media of the DNM.q