A large number of crown-of-thorns starfish has descended upon Dongsha Atoll National Park at Pratas Island, the Taiwanese Coral Reef Society reported Tuesday. The starfish preys upon hard coral polyps and therefore pose a danger to the park’s coral reefs. As of Wednesday, a total of 1,840 specimens have been cleared from the area.
According to a statement from the Interior Ministry’s National Park Service, the crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak was first discovered in the southwest waters of Dongsha Atoll in March. They were able to better understand the scope of the infestation with the assistance of Academia Sinica’s Biodiversity Research Center. They invited the Center’s Executive Officer Jeng Ming-Shiou (鄭明修), representatives from the Agriculture Ministry and The Ocean Affairs Council, and volunteer divers to cooperate in the removal operation.
Experts said that restoring the affected area, which spans about 4 kilometers, may take at least 10 years. The action team will meet on July 18 to establish plans for continued manual removal; they will also discuss the creation of firebreaks to control the spread of the starfish and minimize damage to the ecosystem.