Due to destruction of Coral Reefs: Reyes orders DENR directors to act against "crown-of-thorns" starfish

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes had directed all DENR regional heads to act against the crown-of-thorns starfish that have threatened the country''s coral reefs, the primary home of marine animals.

In a memorandum circular, issued last April 12, Secretary Reyes also instructed the directors to identify coral reefs that are at risk or are already infested with the starfish.

Reyes further asked the directors to organize and enlist the assistance of concerned groups or people in removing the destructive starfish from coral reefs.

"We should not wait for another calamity to befall us. With only 5 percent of our coral reefs in excellent condition we can ill-afford to allow the crown of thorns to further degrade our coral reefs. We should act now," Reyes said.

There are several ways to stop the outbreak of these starfish species. The use of poison is one but the best option so far is the manual removal or prying them loose, with the use of thongs, from the corals.

Marine life is dependent much on coral reefs, which when destroyed would in turn destroy the marine eco-system and the loss of fish and other sea foods.

Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) is a red-colored species with thousands of up to 5-centimeter long poisonous spines all over its body. It grows to a diameter of up to 40cm across and has up to 20 arms extending from the center.

The only known starfish that is poisonous, the crown-of-thorns is a voracious eater of coral (a corallivore), which can consume up to 6 square meters of living reef for a year. In times of food shortage, the starfish can survive at least six months.

Reyes noted that the crown-of-thorns breeds from December to April and each female is capable of producing 60 million eggs per season. These starfish can be found in the seas from Mauritius in the Indian Ocean to Japan and the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean, and to the American west coast.

In the Philippines, the areas that have been identified so far as at risk from these kind of echinoderms are those in Mabini, Batangas; Apo Reef and Puerto Galera in Mindoro; Apo Island near Dumaguete; Roxas in Palawan; Bolinao in Lingayen Gulf; and Kiamba and Glan in Sarangani Bay.

According to the Wikipedia website, "Populations of the crown-of-thorns have increased since the 1970s, and this species is at least partly responsible for much loss of coral reefs, particularly on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia."

The only known predator of adult starfish is the Triton Trumpet (Charonia tritonis), also called the Pacific or Giant Triton, but Secretary Reyes said, this large marine snail has been overexploited by collectors causing the destructive starfish population to grow.

Another predator, which fed on the young crown-of-thorns, is the reef fish Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulates). This, too, have been in a decline due to pollution and overfishing.

Secretary Reyes earlier ordered to enforce strictly the laws and regulations for the conservation of this fish, particularly in and around the Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park. - Ferliza C. Contratista/RAE