Researchers yesterday called for an immediate response to an explosion of crown-of-thorns starfish near the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), which have eaten more than 90 percent of the coral reefs near an atoll.
A research team from the Taiwanese Coral Reef Society last month instructed divers to eliminate 1,840 of the starfish to prevent further damage.
Society honorary chairman Cheng Ming-hsiu (鄭明修) told a news conference that a starfish outbreak at the Dongsha Atoll, the first oceanic national park in Taiwan, had consumed more than 90 percent of the coral reefs along the southwestern outer atoll at a length of about 4km.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwanese Coral Reef Society
The density of the crown-of-thorns starfish in the southwestern waters off the atoll has reached 1,232.9 per hectare, far more than the normal density of 15 to 30 per hectare, Cheng said, calling for authorities to control the outbreak immediately.
Also known as “demon starfish,” crown-of-thorns starfish are a coral-reef killer that feed on almost all species of coral and pose the biggest threat to coral reefs, he said, adding that the starfish have a long life expectancy with a high reproduction rate.
As a mature 40cm-long crown-of-thorns starfish could lay 280 million eggs per year, the starfish would consume coral reefs like locusts devastate crops, he said, citing the extensive loss of reefs due to the starfish at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Cheng, a coral reefs expert who has researched the waters surrounding Taiwan for many years, led a research team to investigate the outbreak along with the National Park Service’s Marine National Park Headquarters from June 9 to 12.
Five divers helped eliminate 1,840 crown-of-thorns starfish, of which 1,237 were killed by injections of vinegar and 603 were removed manually, he said, adding that the restoration of coral reefs in the area would take more than 10 years.
April to September is the ideal time for eliminating the starfish around the Dongsha Atoll, before the northeastern monsoon arrives in October, he said.
The risk of the starfish spreading could decrease as long as their density can be reduced by September, Cheng said.
Meanwhile, the Ocean Affairs Council yesterday said that it would stay in touch with the National Parks Service and supply vinegar doses and divers as needed.
In 2022, authorities worked with Academia Sinica to address a crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak around Itu Aba (Taiping Island, 太平島), which was tackled with vinegar injections and finally controlled more than a year later, the council said.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS