[Coral-List] SCTLD has reached Bonaire

Steve Mussman sealab at earthlink.net
Fri Jul 29 19:38:10 UTC 2022


I’m not suggesting that ballast is the certain culprit, but it has proven to be troublesome in the past with invasive species so the potential is there. Cruise ships could be spreading it around since they make the rounds and Bonaire has just in the last few years seen an increase in traffic. This is not a peer-reviewed paper, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/2020-02-04/ballast-water-could-be-driving-spread-of-devastating-coral-disease

Doubt it has much to do with divers directly, but I agree with Phil that the greater tourism industry is at point zero. I just returned from Cozumel more convinced than ever that sustainable tourism is a oxymoron. I was skeptical about Vietnam’s closure, but at times I encountered crowds underwater reminiscent of lines of people at Disney Land.

Regards,

Steve

On 7/29/22, 2:07 PM, Alina Szmant via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

I don't always agree with Gene, but I do in this case. If there are peer-reviewed publications linking pathogens isolated from ballast water that have been found to infect and cause SCTLD or any other coral disease, please share.

Alina Szmant

Dr. Alina M. Szmant, CEO

CISME Instruments LLC

-------- Original message --------

From: Eugene Shinn via Coral-List

Date: 7/29/22 2:03 PM (GMT-05:00)

To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov

Subject: [Coral-List] SCTLD has reached Bonaire

Listers, As I have pointed out many times the huge Staghorn forest at

San Salvador perished in less than 3 months in 1983----along with

Diadema. San Salvadore is way east of the Bahama Bank surrounded by deep

blue clear water---a long way up current and up wind of the Panama

canal. As for the present situation I am not aware of any evidence that

the cause of coral diseases is coming from ballast water. Gene

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