As some of you may know, we’ve been racing to stop the spread of the ocean’s silent killer, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). We call it “Coral COVID” because once it makes its way to a reef, it kills corals rapidly and spreads with an unprecedented ferocity.
But now, our hard work has been featured in National Geographic and we’re grateful for the opportunity to spread more awareness about this devastating disease impacting waters in Florida, The Bahamas and the Caribbean at large.
To read the National Geographic article and share it with your networks, click here.
About the disease
SCTLD is lethal and catastrophic, propagating via water currents and affecting at least 20 species. Imagine massive colonies of brain, star and pillar corals crumbling into white, algae-covered skeletons. That’s what’s happening, and it’s turning reefs once teaming with life into desolate graveyards.
“Colonies that took hundreds of years to grow can be wiped out in a matter of weeks,” said Dr. Craig Dahlgren, emphasizing the disease’s devastation here in The Bahamas, particularly on reefs around Grand Bahama and New Providence.
“Climate change and the deadly outbreak of SCTLD are a double blow that will put an end to coral reefs in The Bahamas unless we act now,” added Dr. Karlisa Callwood, a marine biologist and the Director of Community Conservation, Education and Action at PIMS. “Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease is spreading like wildfire and destroying our coral reefs – this is reality and demands urgent attention to save The Bahamas’ primary tourism product.”
How you can help
There are a few things each of us can do to stop the spread of SCTLD, and it begins with education.
1- Learn to identify the disease. That way, if you see the tell-tale signs of white, exposed skeletal patches on corals (especially brain, pillar and star corals), you can report it on our website.
2- If you’re scuba diving in the Caribbean, please disinfect your gear after each dive to prevent the accidental transmission of this disease between reefs. Dunking your gear in a bucket of sodium percarbonate & seawater works well for this. For more detailed information, check out the poster below!
3- Lastly, consider supporting our work by donating. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a home in The Bahamas and a reach throughout the Caribbean. All donations are tax-deductible.
New Reef Rescue Sites Take Root in Barbados and Grenada
Barbados Blue and Eco Dive Grenada dive shop owners Andre Miller and Christine Finney (Credit: Eco Dive) Reef Rescue Network Expands to Barbados and Grenada The Perry Institute for Marine
The Bahamas Just Opened a Coral Gene Bank—Here’s Why It Matters
The nation’s first coral gene bank will preserve, propagate and replant coral to reverse devastation from rising ocean temperatures and a rapidly spreading disease Video courtesy of Atlantis Paradise Island.
This Is What Conservation Leadership Looks Like
From Interns to Leaders: How PIMS is Powering the Next Generation of Ocean Advocates Taylor photographs coral microfragments in the ocean nursery, helping monitor their fusion into healthy, resilient colonies
When Ocean Forests Turn Toxic
New study in Science connects chemical “turf wars” in Maine’s kelp forests to the struggles of Caribbean coral reefs — and points to what we can do next Lead author,
Who’s Really in Charge? Unpacking the Power Struggles Behind Madagascar’s Marine Protected Areas
Researchers head out to monitor Marine Protected Area boundaries—where science meets the sea, and local stewardship takes the lead. The Illusion of Protection From dazzling coral reefs to centuries-old traditions,
PIMS and Volunteers Step Up as Legal Battle Leaves Barge Grinding Reef in Fowl Cays National Park
Worn out but undefeated, the cleanup crew rallies around their paddleboard “workbench” in front of the stranded tug and barge—a snapshot of community grit after hours of underwater heavy‑lifting. Photo
