Several members of the Voss Lab have been invited to join a research mission to Dry Tortugas National Park led by Dr. Karen Neely of Nova Southeastern University to treat stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD)-affected corals. Dry Tortugas NP  consists of several small islands and their surrounding waters about 70 miles from Key West.  The park, which lies within the westernmost region of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, is a popular travel destination for diving and snorkeling due to its abundant coral reef and associated marine life. Until recently, the Dry Tortugas were the last remaining region of Florida’s Coral Reef to be unaffected by SCTLD. Unfortunately, in May 2021 members of the park’s Coral Response Team observed signs of SCTLD while conducting disease monitoring (see report here). The three species initially identified to have SCTLD were Meandrina meandrites, Meandrina jacksoni, and Dichocoenia stokesii, which are all highly susceptible species and are typically the first to show signs of the disease in a region.

The Voss Lab recently completed a 5-day research expedition to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) as part of a collaborative NOAA CYCLE project with Dr. Santiago Herrera. The overall goal of this project, funded by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, is to investigate connectivity of coral, sponge, and fish species between shallow and mesophotic coral ecosystems of FGBNMS including the new sanctuary expansion areas.