Invasive Soft Corals: An Emerging Threat to Coral Reef Health

An informational document about the threat of invasive soft corals to coral reef health.

The top banner features an aerial photograph of a shallow reef system. The main title overlay reads “Invasive Soft Corals” followed by the subtitle “An Emerging Threat to Coral Reef Health”. A row of organization logos sits below the banner, including USCRTF, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, ANS Task Force, and Sea Grant Florida.

The main content is structured into three columns of text:

The left column begins with “What is it?” and explains that invasive pulse corals have been found in Hawai’i and the Caribbean. It notes their popularity in the aquarium trade and that they lack a hard skeletal structure. It transitions into “Why is this a problem?” stating they invade various habitats like coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangrove systems. A small inset photo at the bottom left shows a scuba diver manually removing soft coral from a reef, captioned “Invasive soft coral is being removed from Puerto Rico’s reefs.”

The middle column details how these corals compete with and kill native reef-building stony corals, impacting over 20 species of threatened or endangered coral. It explains that since the early 2000s, outbreaks have occurred due to intentional releases, illegal aquaculture, and unintentional transport via boats or ballast water.

The right column lists specific identification timelines: Venezuela (early 2000s), Pearl Harbor, HI (2020), Cuba (2022), and Puerto Rico (2023). A square inset photo shows an underwater view of thick pinkish-white soft coral clusters covering the seafloor, captioned “Invasive soft coral blankets a reef in Puerto Rico.” The remaining text explains that these corals have no natural predators, reproduce asexually, and are difficult to remove without fragmenting and spreading them further.