PROJECT 1.6: CROWN-OF-THORNS STARFISH
(Mr U Engelhardt, GBRMPA)
Very small Crown-of-thorns starfish feed on algae but at about one
cm in diameter they switch to eating coral and begin to grow very
rapidly.
Photo courtesy Stella M Covre
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Fine scale surveys confirmed a predicted increase in the abundance of
adult starfish in the Cairns vicinity. The discovery of juvenile starfish
mid-way between Cairns and Townsville prompted predictions of possible
southward spread as has been seen in the 1960s and 1980s. An information
and extension program continues to heighten awareness of the current status
of the starfish on the GBR, and to note similar outbreaks being widely
recorded in the Indo-Pacific. A colour brochure was produced which noted
that the outbreaks are a natural phenomenon whose frequency and intensity
may have increased in recent years, perhaps as an act of nature, but perhaps
exacerbated by humans through fishing, agricultural or urban runoff, or
other unknown cause. Practical difficulties in protecting tourist sites
against large moving populations of starfish were documented and work
continues with the industry.
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