Study: Humans caused historic Great Barrier Reef collapse Read more: http://www.foxn

[ykh]

Just saw this article, click on the image gallery to see the scary looking coral eating starfish:eek1:

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/11/07/study-humans-caused-historic-great-barrier-reef-collapse/

 

[Tank2379]

Yes... I've been watching this on NEO channel... Those Starfish are called Crown of thorns Starfish... Which are the worst. There is an outbreak becasue there main Preditor the humphead wrasse are being fish out of the waters in amazing numbers which has been a huge decline. This is clearly a disburbance in the food chain... There have been more COT star fish and not enought humphead wrasse to eat them.... Soon they will consume an entire ecosystem if not mananged.

This is just like the invasion in Florida on the Lionfish which is not native to that part of waters...

 

[ykh]

Thanks for sharing the info. May be they should figure out a way to eat the COT starfish like the lionfish in order to reduce their populations

Yes... I've been watching this on NEO channel... Those Starfish are called Crown of thorns Starfish... Which are the worst. There is an outbreak becasue there main Preditor the humphead wrasse are being fish out of the waters in amazing numbers which has been a huge decline. This is clearly a disburbance in the food chain... There have been more COT star fish and not enought humphead wrasse to eat them.... Soon they will consume an entire ecosystem if not mananged.

This is just like the invasion in Florida on the Lionfish which is not native to that part of waters...

 

[sjkarrow87]

the COT are pretty nasty indeed. there have been dozens of times that i have been snorkeling in maui and seen these guys get stabbed by the locals or turned over and left upside down to die.

 

[Tank2379]

Take a read on Wiki on the Humphead.

 

[PowerNap]

"Oh, so mother nature needs a favor? Well, maybe she should have thought of that when she was besetting us with droughts and floods and poison monkeys. " Mr. Burns.


Sorry, but I couldn't help myself!

 

[skunkmere]

Corals would eat us if they could.

 

[aussie_chicago]

Most of the starfish come from the ballasts of commercial shipping, mainly China. The reefs are really starting to get a lot worse, lots of completely bleached reef systems, its a crying shame. Its always a balance of man v's environment, where the environment is losing now. The Australian government is doing what it can to combat this, but in some parts, the damage is too excessive for a recovery.