Outbreak: Crown-of-thorns sea stars invade S. Leyte

MAASIN CITY ,Philippines  – The massive invasion of thousands of crown-of-thorns (COT) sea stars in the seas of this capital city and other towns of Southern Leyte province has been declared an outbreak that threatened the marine life in the area.

Officials said that this might also affect other provinces, such as Cebu and Bohol, when the larvae of these COTs, locally known as “dap-ag,” are carried away by the currents from here.

More than 170,000 of the COTs, which are predators of coral reefs, have already been gathered and poisoned, said provincial administrator Crispin Arong, who represented Governor Damian Mercado in a meeting where the outbreak was also discussed.

Over the past three weeks, in the city alone, more than 30,000 have been harvested and destroyed by pouring chemicals to die, city agriculturist Amado Acasio told The FREEMAN after the consultation meeting of the proposed Danajon Double Barrier Reef Management Council held here.

The city was host of the meeting, which was attended by representatives of Bohol, Lapu-Lapu City and the Coastal Conservation Environment Foundation, for the promotion of environmental protection and conservation of the only double barrier reef in country and one of the six in the world.

Inopacan town in Leyte province, on the other hand, was also hit by the COT outbreak and its municipal agriculturist said the LGU is offering cash incentive by buying COTs from harvesters at P0.50 centavos each.

   Representative Roger Mercado (lone district, S. Leyte), in a media interview at Limasawa island-town, confirmed the invasion of COTs and bared that he is considering appropriating funds for the expenses in getting rid of the coral predators.

The congressman was in Limasawa with local officials, led by his governor-brother, to attend the celebration of the 491st anniversary of the First Mass in the Philippines that implanted the seed of Christianity in the country.

Limasawa Mayor Melchor Petracorta, in separate interview, said about 30,000 COTs have been gathered also in his town.

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management officer Eva Abad told The FREEMAN that to stop the COTs from regenerating, the sodium bisulfate chemical, bought from abroad, has been used by authorities to kill these destructive invertebrates.