DoE warns of SCTLD holiday risk to Sister Islands

(CNS): The devastating spread of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) to all of the reefs around the entire coastline of Grand Cayman has still not yet reached the Sister Islands. But the Department of Environment is worried that this extremely contagious and fatal disease could be easily transferred by boaters over the Easter holidays if they do not take the necessary precautions.

Anyone planning to take their boat to Cayman Brac or Little Cayman this weekend is urged to reduce the risk by disinfecting boats and gear.

Dive and snorkel kit, fishing gear, boat bilges and anything making contact with the waters of Grand Cayman before travel should be disinfected in 1% bleach solution, the DoE said.

It can also be disinfected at any dive shop in Little Cayman or Cayman Brac. Boaters should also disinfect boat bilges on the way out of Grand Cayman waters. Once offshore, pour a good splash of bleach into the bilge and leave it for 10 minutes before pumping it out completely. This can be done about half a mile off the wall.

“SCTLD is an extremely contagious coral disease that has spread completely around Grand Cayman’s reefs in just over a year, leaving millions of dead corals in its wake throughout the Caribbean. But thankfully, it has not yet reached either of the Sister Islands so we still have time to protect them,” a DoE spokesperson said.

SCTLD Response Team Coordinator Tammi Warrender conducted and completed a random survey around both the Brac and Little Cayman within the last two weeks and did not detect any signs of this disease, increasing the urgency for all water users to help protect those islands.

For more information visit the DoE site here.