TCI News
STONY CORAL TISSUE LOSS DISEASE: URGENT ATTENTION
#Providenciales, June 3, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – It has been brought to the attention of the Department of Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR) that sightings of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) have been made at certain dive sites in the Turks & Caicos Islands.
If you are not familiar with this coral disease, it is one that is affecting the whole region. It is also a disease that moves quickly through healthy coral ecosystems.
Regionally, this SCTLD is considered very serious, and the DECR feels no differently about it. As such, we would like to ask that all Dive Operations follow the protocol for affective decontamination of their equipment. This is in an effort to contain SCTLD, and prevent further spread to healthy dive sites, within our waters.
There is also a link that has been shared by Atlantic & Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) that we request divers use to report sightings of SCTLD to help build a database of where and when the disease is spreading. Here is the link to the survey.
Release: TCIG