Apart From Climate Change, One Of The Biggest Threats Facing The Great Barrier Reef Is The Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish, Capable Of Eating Away Up To 108 Square Feet Of Coral Each Year

During dives around the reef’s perimeter, the researchers killed the starfish by injecting them with vinegar or oxbiles, preventing them from releasing larvae into the water.

Another approach they are working on is to use the stress pheromones that the crown-of-thorns starfish unleash when faced with a predator to warn other starfish to stay away from the reef.

The goal is to identify the natural molecules and use them to lead crown-of-thorns starfish toward baited traps where they will be captured or killed.

In the areas where the crown-of-thorns starfish population has been culled, a 44 percent increase in coral coverage was observed.

Hopefully, reducing the impacts of the starfish will help keep the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs intact.