Sick Sea Fans

Sat Jul 1 16:30:32 EDT 2000

Ken,
Sender: owner-coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: Billy Causey <billy.causey at noaa.gov>

Thank you very much for this report.  On Thursday, June 29, 2000, I was
diving Molasses Reef and Pickles Reef participating in the Great
American Fish Count.  After having read your report I was watching for
disease problems on the sea fans and spotted only a few infected
colonies at Molasses.  However, I could not believe what I was observing
at Pickles Reef.  Well over 80% of the sea fans in the vicinity of the
southern mooring buoy were infected with what appeared to be a
cynobacterium or fine algae.  In most instances the colonies were
completely consumed by the infestation.

Thank you again for the heads-up and the notice!  I saw Steven Miller
later in the day on Thursday and told him about your report and my
observations and he said, coincidentally an expert on octocoral diseases
will be in the Keys next week.

Ken, I am broadcasting your observations very broadly to see if others
have observed this problem.

Thanks again and you have my most sincere thanks for keeping an eye out
for these problems.  You are indeed a leader amongst the marinelife
collectors as are those you cc'ed on this list.  Happy 4th of July to
you!  Cheers, Billy

Ken Nedimyer wrote:

> Billy,I've been seeing some serious disease problems with sea fans
> along the reef line south west of Alligator reef.  On Thursday I was
> diving in about 35-40' of water a couple miles southwest of Alligator
> and I noticed that about half of the sea fans either had dead spots on
> them or were completely dead.  There wasn't and visible diseased
> tissue but it was defiantly recently dead and in the process of
> dying.  I was diving in the 1/2 mile east of there today (Saturday)
> and noticed the same thing going on and today I shot a dozen or more
> pictures of it.  When I get the slides developed I'll either send them
> to you of take them in to John Halas here in Key Largo. The inshore
> sea fans off Key Largo look good and the inshore sea fans off Lower
> Matecumbe look good, so far I've just noticed the diseased fans along
> the reef line off Lower Matecumbe.  GPS #s are 24.49.744,
> 80.38.768.  Ken Nedimyer

--
Billy D. Causey, Superintendent
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
PO Box 500368
Marathon, FL 33050
Phone (305) 743.2437, Fax (305) 743.2357
http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/

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Ken,
Thank you very much for this report.&nbsp; On Thursday, June 29, 2000,
I was diving Molasses Reef and Pickles Reef participating in the Great
American Fish Count.&nbsp; After having read your report I was watching
for disease problems on the sea fans and spotted only a few infected colonies
at Molasses.&nbsp; However, I could not believe what I was observing at
Pickles Reef.&nbsp; Well over 80% of the sea fans in the vicinity of the
southern mooring buoy were infected with what appeared to be a cynobacterium
or fine algae.&nbsp; In most instances the colonies were completely consumed
by the infestation.
Thank you again for the heads-up and the notice!&nbsp; I saw Steven
Miller later in the day on Thursday and told him about your report and
my observations and he said, coincidentally an expert on octocoral diseases
will be in the Keys next week.
Ken, I am broadcasting your observations very broadly to see if others
have observed this problem.
Thanks again and you have my most sincere thanks for keeping an eye
out for these problems.&nbsp; You are indeed a leader amongst the marinelife
collectors as are those you cc'ed on this list.&nbsp; Happy 4th of July
to you!&nbsp; Cheers, Billy
Ken Nedimyer wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style>
Billy,I've
been seeing some serious disease problems with sea fans along the reef
line south west of Alligator reef.&nbsp; On Thursday I was diving in about
35-40' of water a couple miles southwest of Alligator and I noticed that
about half of the sea fans either had dead spots on them or were completely
dead.&nbsp; There wasn't and visible diseased tissue but it was defiantly
recently dead and in the process of dying.&nbsp; I was diving in the 1/2
mile east of there today (Saturday) and noticed the same thing going on
and today I shot a dozen or more pictures of it.&nbsp; When I get the slides
developed I'll either send them to you of take them in to John Halas here
in Key Largo. The inshore sea fans off Key Largo look good and the inshore
sea fans off Lower Matecumbe look good, so far I've just noticed the diseased
fans along the reef line off Lower Matecumbe.&nbsp; GPS #s are 24.49.744,&nbsp;
80.38.768.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ken
Nedimyer</blockquote>

<p>--
<br>Billy D. Causey, Superintendent
<br>Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
<br>PO Box 500368
<br>Marathon, FL 33050
<br>Phone (305) 743.2437, Fax (305) 743.2357
<br><A HREF="http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/">http://www.fknms.nos.noaa.gov/</A>
<br>&nbsp;
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