In June, Dry Tortugas National Park reported what we’ve all been dreading to hear: Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease had reached our furthest waters. Since 2015, the mystery killer has been spreading across reefs in Florida and the Caribbean, killing a majority of the corals it encounters. The park is working diligently to control the outbreak in our last coral stronghold in the Keys, and we got a peek at what it looks like currently. Fortunately, there’s still a lot of coral to see and enjoy (phew!). It’s a glimpse into what the Keys used to look like, and what coral restoration practitioners hope to bring back. The species particularly affected by STCLD are a treat to behold, as they used to populate the entire Keys and now can almost exclusively be found in the Tortugas. Take a look at what our waters look like right now, up and down the Keys.
