SPONGE ORANGE BAND - USA (02): (FLORIDA)
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Date: Fri 25 May 2012
Source: New Times Broward-Palm Beach [edited] <http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2012/05/mystery_sponge-killing_disease.php>
From Sombrero Reef down in the Keys to the waters of West Palm Beach, red barrel sponges are disintegrating at worrisome rates. The culprit is unknown, and state scientists are busy trying to figure out just how widespread the disease outbreak is.
At the end of April [2012], Ed Tichenor of Palm Beach County Reef Rescue first observed sponges disintegrating. By the 1st week of May [2012], he confirmed that the sponges, an animal, were dying from Breakers Reef in Palm Beach south to at least Delray Beach.
Now, officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirm with New Times that similar observations have been made in waters off Broward, Key Biscayne, and the Florida Keys.
"We are trying to get a handle on the extent of how widespread the disease outbreak is right now," says Rob Ruzicka, program manager at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. "As far as we can tell, this is the largest event we've seen so far, at least in Florida."
It's unclear what's actually killing the sponges. Scientists have dubbed the syndrome 'sponge orange band', which only describes the symptoms, but they haven't been able to confirm the actual pathogen responsible.
"It's totally possible that whatever is causing the disease here could spread to the rest of the Caribbean in a matter of months or a year,"
Ruzicka says. "We might just be witnessing the very early stages of something larger... We need to find out if it's a widespread pandemic and, if so, how much of the sponge population it is affecting."
Another aspect researchers are trying to determine is whether the phenomenon has moved south toward the Keys or north along the reef tract.
"Typically, you look up-current," says Tichenor of Palm Beach County Reef Rescue. "I'm suggesting that we need to look at what's coming out of the Gulf of Mexico."
Tichenor says the 1st step should be to conduct what's called a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) analysis, a test to determine if PAH are in the water. Strong pollutants, PAHs are present in crude-oil deposits, among other things.
"If this is a containment, I think sponges are likely the 1st organism to be impacted because they're filtering the water. That's what they do," Tichenor says. "It seems that whatever they're filtering out of the water is killing them. The question now is what's in the water."
Ruzicka and state officials will be heading to the Dry Tortugas to inspect the waters in the coming weeks, and they'll be checking back on the upper and lower Keys through June and July [2012]. Tichenor will continue to monitor the local waters.
[Byline: Chris Sweeney]
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[The etiology of the sponge orange band syndrome is still unknown.
Attempts to gather evidence that incriminates a single microbial agent have failed. The disease is, however, strongly associated with high or low temperatures. The hypothesis that coral reef diseases are basically opportunistic infections secondary to physiological stress (such as caused by pollutants or increasing water temperature) appears to be the most supported one.
A picture of a healthy barrel sponge can be seen at <http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/07twilightzone/logs/may23/media/barrel_sponge_600.jpg>;
a picture of a diseased barrel sponge can be seen at <http://reefrescue.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/barrelsob.jpeg>. Watch a video of Palm Beach County barrel sponge disease at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz6Q7wt7Cx8&feature=youtu.be>.
A map of the affected area can be accessed at <http://healthmap.org/r/1yvG>. - Mod.PMB]
[see also:
Sponge orange band - USA: (FL) susp. 20120504.1122721 Coral reef kill - worldwide: viruses? 20120330.1085191 Montipora white syndrome, coral reef - USA: (HI) 20120109.1004413
2011
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White pox coral disease - USA: (FL) 20110820.2527 2010
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Coral reef disease, link to human Serratia strains 20101024.3861 Coral reef bleaching - Caribbean: temperature related 20101020.3796 Montipora white syndrome, coral reef - USA (02): (HI) 20100415.1220 Montipora white syndrome, coral reef - USA: (HI) 20100403.1078
2007
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Vibrio, rare coral - UK 20070905.2933
Coral reef kill - Costa Rica 20070904.2915 Coral reef kill - Pacific Region 20070810.2600
2004
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Coral reef kills - USA (FL)(02) 20040327.0846 Coral reef kills - USA (FL) 20040320.0777] .................................................sb/pmb/mj/dk/ll
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