Starfish outbreak destroying coral reefs in Asia

By Tan Ee Lyn

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Outbreaks of the notorious crown of thorns starfish is wreaking havoc in Asia's famous Coral Triangle, where it has destroyed large swathes of coral reefs, scientists in Indonesia and Australia said.

The predator starfish feeds on corals by spreading its stomach over them and using digestive enzymes to liquefy tissue.

The researchers found large numbers of them in Halmahera, Indonesia, which lies at the heart of the Coral Triangle. During a research trip in December, they saw a stretch of reef measuring 10 km (6.26 miles) in circumference completely wiped out.

"It's quite a stark sight. The crown of thorns choose to eat some species, like staghorn corals, the branching corals disappear and you are left with just a rubble pit," Andrew Baird of the Australia Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University said by telephone.

Baird said the outbreak was caused by poor water quality and could be an early warning of widespread reef decline.

"Humans are exacerbating the problem because we put too many nutrients in the water," he said, referring to water pollution caused by sewerage and agriculture fertilizers.

"There are lots of micro-algae and the larvae of the crown of thorns feed on the algae," said Baird, who was involved in the study.

The survey was carried out by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the ARC. The researchers hope to publish their findings this year.