By signing this pledge, you agree to:
1. DISINFECT
Rinse your dive or snorkel gear thoroughly between dives using sodium percarbonate (e.g. Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent) or a mixture of 1% bleach to water when you are back on land
2. REPORT
Be on the lookout for Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) and report sightings to coral@perryinstitute.org or via Whatsapp +12062019490
Sign here:
What Else Can You Do?
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease is a lethal illness affecting coral reefs, first identified in Florida in 2014, and it has since spread rapidly throughout the wider Caribbean, threatening the biodiversity and structural integrity of affected coral reefs.
Humans can spread SCTLD by SCUBA diving, snorkeling, freediving, fishing and boating in areas where the disease is present and then moving to a new site where the disease has not yet impacted coral reefs. Ocean users should disinfect their gear between sites to prevent the spread of SCTLD across Bahamian coral reef systems.
Boaters can sterilize any remaining bilge water by adding Seventh Generation detergent. Allow it to soak for 5 minutes before releasing it into open water, far from sensitive marine life and coral reefs. Commercial ships should discharge ballast water 200 nautical miles from any coastal area and at least 200 m deep
Back on land, disinfect your fishing, snorkel and scuba gear by soaking in 1% bleach to 99% of water for at least 10 minutes. Rinse your gear and let it air dry.
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