This five-year statutory review of the health of the Reef, produced by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, examined impacts to the Reef since 2014, including two mass coral bleachings, several cyclones, an ongoing
crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak and the impacts of climate change.
An outbreak of the poisonous
crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) has been reported in the sea off several coastal barangays of Malitbog, Southern Leyte.
Runoff from recent floods in northern Australia is flowing onto parts of the Barrier Reef, scientists said Friday, starving coral of light and providing fodder for the predatory
crown-of-thorns starfish.
The
crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), which is native to Australia, is one of world's largest seastars, measuring up to 1 metre.
It feeds on toxic animals such as
crown-of-thorns starfish.
Frydenberg said the money would be spent on improving water quality, tackling the
crown-of-thorns starfish, and helping develop new species of coral that are more resilient to warmer temperatures.
In recent years, the reef has lost 30% of its coral due to bleaching linked to rising sea temperatures and damage from
crown-of-thorns starfish.
It has suffered extensive damage over the past few years, mostly from coral bleaching,
crown-of-thorns starfish infestation, and the effects of climate change.
It has also endured damage from
crown-of-thorns starfish and
A PARTICULARLY PRICKLY problem (sorry again for bad puns!) for Australia's reefs is the
crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS).
But pests in the ocean are partly responsible for the depletion of the reefs coral cover--the
crown-of-thorns starfish is blamed for 40% of the coral decline.
You can be a stubbly
crown-of-thorns starfish and eat coral, or a silvery barracuda feeding on fellow fish, a prickly urchin lazily grazing on algae, or a colourful sponge filter-feeding away while dripping off the side of a coral-like orange molasses.
