Journal de La Réserve Naturelle Nationale de St.Martin #35

9 As if the coral has not suffered enough from higher temperatures due to climate change, the past year has also seen a new disease that kills coral within just a few days. Very present in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, this disease baptized SCTL —Stony Coral Tissue Loss— was first observed on the Dutch side earlier this year and is possibly transported and spread via the ballast of cruise ships and cargo ships. As its name indicates, this disease is characterized by a rapid necrosis of living tissue on the surface of massive coral —brain coral, pillar coral—which die in the space of a week without possibility of recuperation. The presence of this disease was confirmed at Rocher Créole and Tintamare and is of a bac- terial nature. The Réserve Naturelle invites all divers to report any new sightings as well as take all necessary precautions to avoid sprea- ding the disease, for example by disinfecting all dive gear: rinse in fresh water with chlorine and dry in the sun. Coral Attacked ByADeadly Disease Réserve Naturelle SAINT MARTIN Favoriser la conservationdes récifs coralliens et des espèces associées / Topromote the conservationof the coral reefs and related species Coral victims of the disease SCTL © Guillaume Jorakhae