Marine experts will collect samples off Kauai’s North Shore today to determine whether one of the state’s major coral disease outbreaks in recent years is related to lesions being found on Hawaiian puffer fish.

Thierry Work, wildlife specialist for the National Wildlife Health Center of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hono­lulu field office, and Greta Aeby, assistant researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Hawaii, will collect samples at Anini, Kauai, from the Hawaiian white-spotted toby fish, or Canthigaster jactator.

It will be their second trip to Anini in recent months to evaluate the rate of the quick-spreading cyanobacterial disease that is killing coral off Anini, Makua and Hana­lei on Kauai’s North Shore.

Experts say this is the only case of cyanobacterial disease found in Hawaii and the fourth major coral disease outbreak in the Hawaiian Islands in the past five years. Outbreaks of a coral bacterial infection occurred at Maui in 2009 and at Kaneohe Bay in 2010 and 2011.

Aeby said the state of Hawaii’s coral reefs is heading in the direction of the coral reefs in the Florida Keys, where 98 percent of the coral is dead.

It takes about 10 to 15 years for coral to grow.

Work said the bacteria at Kauai’s North Shore is eating coral tissue at a fast rate. There’s something unique there that’s causing it to spread, he added. He and Aeby are trying to find out what is driving the disease’s growth. "It’s going to be a complicated problem to resolve. It’s not going to be easy," Work said.

Of the fast-spreading coral disease on Kauai’s North Shore, Aeby said, "It’s something to worry about, for sure."

The team’s research was prompted by images of the diseased coral that were sent to Work and Aeby this year by marine videographer Terry Lilley of Hana­lei. Lilley could not be reached for comment.

In October, Work and Aeby marked and photographed 15 sites of dying coral at Anini. Marine epoxy, a claylike substance, was applied on the bacteria — which shows up as a thin black band on the coral — to slow its progress, similar to a firebreak. The team will take new photos today to evaluate the rate of coral tissue loss and see whether the epoxy treatment was effective.

Work said they discovered skin discoloration on the toby fish during their initial visit to Anini while they were documenting diseased coral. Parts of their skin have turned black, an abnormality as their normal skin color is olive green or brown with small polka dots, he said. Aeby said the dark spots indicate rotting skin.

Laboratory tests will be conducted on fish samples to help determine whether the coral disease outbreak is affecting marine life.