The Red Sea’s crown-of-thorns starfish are being surveyed by Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife Development in an effort to better understand and control any future outbreaks of the coral-eating species.
According to a Saudi Press Agency story on Wednesday, the action plan is the outcome of a session that the NCWD conducted in late 2022 at which the issue of outbreaks was examined.
The wildlife center is working with specialists from all over the world to create methods for identifying outbreaks and determining the most effective ways to limit harm to coral reefs.
Citing talks from the workshop, the paper stated, “The crown-of-thorns starfish is a marine organism that feeds on algae and bacteria that grow on coral reefs, but it poses a major threat to coral reef ecosystems when it becomes widespread.”
“The Red Sea’s coral reefs have suffered significant harm due to the spread of the crown-of-thorns starfish, particularly during the breeding season, which occurs from the last two weeks of July to the first two weeks of August,” the statement continued.
Experts who attended the workshop, including marine scientists, have linked outbreaks to the disturbance of the food chain and overfishing of the species that consume it.
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