Scientists have unleashed a new weapon in their bid to stop the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef … a Vegemite-like beef extract which kills the crown of thorns starfish, that has been responsible for 40% of coral death on the reef since the 1980s.
James Cook University’s Centre for Coral Reef Biodiversity in north Queensland told the ABC it had developed a culture that infects the starfish with its own bacteria.
Despite the fact that trials have been successful, there is still a lot of work to be done.
“We still have to infect every single starfish individually at the moment in order to kill them once an outbreak is established,” said Professor Morgan Pratchett. “There’s just simply too many starfish and it’s going to be hard to go out there and really put a dent in the population.”
He says it is killing the crown of thorns, but more tests are needed to ensure it does not damage the underlying coral.
The reef is, of course, one of Queensland’s biggest drawcards for grey nomads and other tourists … and the speed of its recent decline has been sending shockwaves through rethe state and beyond.
Last week, new research reveals that the Great Barrier Reef had lost half its coral in the past 27 years.
Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science analysed data which has been collected since surveillance began in 1985 to draw their conclusions. The researchers claim 48% of damage to the reef as been caused by storms, 42% by crown of thorns starfish, and 10% by coral bleaching.
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