Infectious diseases and temperature extremes have led to major declines in the Florida Reef Tract, leading to placement of rescued corals in approved Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facilities around the country and other Florida land-based centers. The AZA Coral Health Management Advisory Group, to which PI Yanong belongs, struggles with disease management at many of these facilities. Diseases of Caribbean coral species in land-based culture are not well understood, and treatments rely heavily on the “shotgun” approaches, which often are ineffective. The overall goal of this project is to use and standardize science-based disease diagnostics, health management, and fragmentation protocol for corals at an industry collaborator’s land-based facility. Objectives include: 1) development of normal facility baseline health parameters for select massive coral species, 2) comparison of fragmentation protocols for select massive coral species, 3) assessment of standard and alternative disease diagnostics for data collection towards disease characterization, and 4) assessment of effectiveness and toxicity on coral and zooxanthellae of select empirical chemotherapeutants, including select antibiotics, parasiticides, and disinfectants. The proposed research will support one MS student, and results, analysis, and protocol recommendations will be shared with our collaborators and other facilities and stakeholders through workshops, scientific presentations, and research and outreach publications. The long-term impacts will be increased science-based coral health information for improved management including baseline health data, and increased survival and preservation of coral genotypes for future use, with a minimum target of 10% reduction of losses to disease.
Dr. Roy Yanong (PI, UF/IFAS); additional researchers from the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory and partner institutions.
