Crown-of-thorns Starfish Management
Protecting corals from the crown of thorn starfish
The Crown-of-thorns Starfish is one of the largest starfish in the world, and it is most common in Australia. It is a large starfish with poisonous thorn-like bones covering its body and arms, and it feeds on hard, marine polyps. The major challenge posed by the crown-of-thorns starfishes has been their ever-increasing population in the last five decades.
Indeed, this is a significant contributor to the present coral loss on reefs, hence, threatening productivity and biodiversity of these marine habitats.
Due to the destruction they cause to coral reef habitats, human beings have been able to come up with and put into practice various control measures. One of these control measures is removing the starfishes from coral reef habitats. This removal can be done either manually or chemically by poisoning, for example, through the use of sodium bisulphate. Over the years, the manual method has been useful, but its significant disadvantage still remains how labour-intensive it is unlike using Sodium bisulphate.
However, the use of sodium bisulphate is preferable and most efficient because it requires less labour and only harms the starfishes without harming other species on the Reef.
As part of The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s efforts to control the sudden increase of crown-of-thorns in the park, the Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program was established in 2012.
The program is part of the authority’s Crown-of-thorns Starfish Strategic Management Framework, and it is to provide skilful responses to the sudden increase of crown-of-thorns starfishes. This program’s set goal is to protect coral in the Marine Park from damages caused by crown-of-thorns starfishes. The goal is to be achieved by reducing and maintaining crown-of-thorns starfish’s population size at levels where their impact on coral is minimised within the Marine Park.
For this program, conscientious boats with skilled professionals get rid of these starfishes by using deadly or poisonous substances such as sodium bisulphate or household vinegar. Furthermore, systematic observation and continuous monitoring activities are as well carried out as part of the program so as to ensure that the Reef is conducive to health.
The systematic observation and constant monitoring also make sure that the population reduction of these starfishes is aimed at places that can guarantee maximum social and economic benefits for Australians.
Scaling the Starfish Control Program
The Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program is a big project, and the Australian government has been funding it since 2012. As a result of low funding at the beginning of the program, the program only had about two boats. Nevertheless, as the sudden increase in the starfishes’ population size started and progressed in 2010, there was a need for expansion.
The number of boats used was increased to allow for expansion, and there was a stretch out from the northern to the southern part of the park. As time passed, the funding for the Crown-of-thorns Starfish Control Program was increased by the Australian government. The program expanded positively, and four additional boats were purchased and operational by the end of 2019.
This program expansion in the Marine Park gave room to the crown-of-thorns starfish control boats to be used in the far north and far south of the park for the first time. This move proved to be the right step in the right direction and at the right time.
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