Media release
7 March 2013
More than 60,000 crown-of-thorns starfish
have been culled in a Gillard Government
project to protect precious coral on the
Great Barrier Reef.
Environment Minister Tony Burke said divers
from the Association of Marine Park Tourism
Operators have culled the coral eating starfish
between Lizard Island and Cairns, as well
as pockets in the Whitsunday.
The $1.43 million project
began in August last year as a response
to increased crown-of-thorn starfish sightings.
“The Gillard Government
is committed to protecting the Great Barrier
Reef as a top priority,’’ Mr Burke said.
“Research shows the
crown-of-thorns starfish is one of the main
culprits behind a serious decline in coral
cover.
“These starfish occur
naturally, but pollution and run off can
lead to an explosion in their numbers. And
when their numbers get out of hand week
after week we witness them eating the reef.
“Long term the work
of reef rescue is ensuring that run off
and pollution into the reef reduces every
years. But short term we need to have divers
underwater injecting them and killing them.
“The Australian Institute
of Marine Science published long-term data
last year demonstrating coral cover on the
Reef has declined by more than 50 per cent
over the past 27 years — with outbreaks
of crown-of-thorns starfish being a major
contributor, just behind cyclones
“The divers have done
a great job in culling more than 60,000
crown-of-thorns starfish, and that figure
will only climb over the coming months as
their efforts continue. Importantly, it
means these starfish have also been prevented
from entering the next spawning season.”
To cull crown-of-thorns
starfish, divers inject the animal with
sodium bisulphate — a biodegradable chemical
considered harmless to other plants and
animals on the Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Association is overseeing the
program and working closely with the Association
of Marine Park Tourism Operators to determine
which reefs need to be targeted based on
information collected by the agency.
The Crown of thorns
management program is one part of the Gillard
government’s broader strategy to protect
the Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian Government
has funded a five-year $200 million Reef
Rescue water quality improvement initiative
to reduce the discharge of sediments, nutrients
and pesticides from agricultural lands to
the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
The Government through
the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Association
is also working to reduce local pressures
on the Reef through a range of activities
including the highly successful Reef Guardians
stewardship program which involves working
with local communities, schools, councils,
fishers and farmers to protect the Reef.
There are now 293 schools involved in the
Reef Guardians program.
Thirteen Reef Guardian
Councils from Bundaberg to Cooktown, covering
almost 320,000 square kilometres of the
Great Barrier Reef coastal catchment, are
undertaking more than 920 projects in land,
water and waste management, climate change,
community education and capacity building,
which are helping to improve the resilience
of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian and Queensland
governments are also working together to
undertake a comprehensive strategic assessment
of the entire Great Barrier Reef World Heritage
Area which will set its direction over the
next 25 years and create an agreed long-term
plan to deal with the multiple threats facing
the Reef.
The Australian Government
is providing $12.4 million over four years
for reef ecosystem research through the
National Environmental Research Program’s
Tropical Ecosystems Hub. Of this, the NERP
is providing $3.6 million for water quality
research aimed at better understanding the
drivers and impacts of water quality on
the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef.
