Remove those spiky predators

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With the observance of Month of the Ocean (MOO) in May 2022, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 6 conducted different activities in support to the month-long celebration aligned to its theme: “Protect and Restore Ecosystems and Biodiversity.”

One of those activities was a pre-survey and monitoring of the presence of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) in a portion of the 300-hectare Coral Garden in Jawili, Tangalan, Aklan on May 5, 2022 in collaboration with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of the municipality of Tangalan, Aklan.

COTS is a sea star that was named after the spines that cover its body and arms. It is also known to permanently damage coral reefs, and scientists consider it a species of concern –not because its numbers are too low but because locally high numbers can threaten other species.

Upon the conduct of survey and monitoring, the certified divers from DENR Aklan and Tangalan spotted numbers of COTS population in the area, wherein 20 pieces of this spiky predator were collected.

DENR-PENRO Aklan scheduled a mass extraction of COTS in the said area on May 24.

The activity highlighted the MOO celebration 2022, which aims to understand the effects of multiple stressors on ocean ecosystem and take action by providing solutions in the degradation of marine biodiversity and ecosystem. The team was composed of divers from DENR Aklan, Tangalan and Office of the Provincial Agriculture.

“These spiky predators should be removed to prevent damage to our coral reefs. This Month of the Ocean (MOO) we should value the importance of coral reefs, because once a reef’s ecosystem failed, it will be hard for us to restore it,” DENR 6 Regional Executive Director Livino B. Duran said.

Corals are archetypal ecosystem engineers as they provide the foundation for the diversity and abundance of all the species in coral reef ecosystems. (DENR-6)