$28m to control starfish

FIVE fully crewed boats will patrol the Great Barrier Reef for two years under a $28m plan to ramp up an assault against the coral-eating Crown of Thorns starfish.

The federal government will today announce the next stage of its plans to battle the pest, which is a voracious predator of coral and one of the biggest threats to the reef.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley said nearly $28m worth of contracts had been awarded to boost the co-ordinated assault on the starfish which are considered as damaging to the reef as cyclones and severe coral bleaching.

Four major outbreaks have been recorded since 1960 and reef managers have been struggling to control numbers since 2010.

“Since the present outbreak began, more than 160 reefs have been patrolled and over 700,000 of the COTS have been culled, with Indigenous rangers playing a vital role on the water,” Ms Ley said.

She said research agreements between scientists and reef managers had paved the way to strengthen a “co-ordinated assault on these coraleating predators”.

“Reducing the threat from COTS outbreaks, where they can consume coral faster than it can grow, is critical to helping the reef remain vibrant in the face of a range of other pressures.”

The boat program is the centrepiece of the new assault, with operators leading culling missions, reef health surveys and research support to help reduce COTS.

Great Barrier Reef special envoy Warren Entsch said starfish control programs, which began in 2012, had successfully managed outbreaks.

“We want to ensure the reef’s future for the benefit of all Australians,” he said.

Great Barrier Reef Foundation managing director Anna Marsden said authorities had to control outbreaks to protect the reef and its marine life.