Crown-of-thorns boats being redirected to northern reef following latest outbreak
Ocean Health
Crown-of-thorns starfish numbers are “intensifying” between Cairns and Lizard Island, leading the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to make a decision this week to send more boats from the southern reef region to combat the outbreaks.
More than 50 reef managers, scientists, crown-of-thorns control-program operators and tourism-industry representatives met in Cairns on Wednesday to work out the COTS-eradication plan for the next year.
The meeting heard field intelligence had confirmed that the current outbreak in the northern region was worsening.
COTS Control Program assistant director Dr David Williamson said the workshop was critical in working out which reefs to target ahead of the new financial year from July.
“Over the past few years, we have been increasing COTS control capacity in the northern GBR to suppress the emerging primary outbreak, while maintaining scaled-down control efforts in the central and southern regions,” Dr Williamson said.
“We expect that the northern outbreak will continue to intensify during the next few years.”
Dr Williamson said sharing knowledge at the workshop helps ensure boats and divers are visiting the right reefs at the right times to best suppress outbreaks and protect coral.
Adult COTS can grow larger than the size of a dinner plate and consume their body size in coral every day or two.
Funded by the Federal Government, the COTS Control Program currently works with six boats with teams of six to 10 divers who cull the starfish using a lethal single-shot injection of household vinegar or ox bile salt solution.
Crown-of-thorns are a native species on the Great Barrier Reef, instantly recognisable by their long, venomous spines.
The control program employs about 140 people.
