Giant sea snail plan to rescue Great Barrier Reef
SYDNEY: A giant starfisheating snail could be unleashed to help save the Great Barrier Reef, officials said, with a trial under way to breed thousands of the rare species.
Predatory crownofthorns starfish, which munch coral, are naturally occurring but have proliferated due to pollution and agricultural runoff at the struggling World Heritagelisted ecosystem.
Their impact has been profound with a major study of the 2,300kmlong reef ’s health in 2012 showing coral cover halved over the past 27 years, with 42% of the damage attributed to the pest.
Now, Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) research has shown they avoid areas where the Pacific triton sea snail – also known as the giant triton – is present.
The snails – which can grow to half a metre – have a welldeveloped sense of smell and can hunt their prey by scent alone.
Research showed they were particularly fond of crownofthorns, but only eat a few each week, and with the snail almost hunted to extinction for their shells, there are not many left.
This led the Australian government to announce funding to research breeding them.
“The possibilities the triton breeding project opens up are exciting,” said Queensland federal MP Warren Entsch yesterday.
“If successful, this research will allow scientists to closely look at the impact of giant tritons on crownofthorns’ behaviour and test their potential as a management tool to help reduce coral lost to outbreaks.”
The Great Barrier Reef, the largest living structure on Earth, is also reeling from an unprecedented second straight year of coral bleaching due to warming sea temperatures linked to climate change. — AFP