THE THREAT OF CROWN-OF-THORNS STARFISH AND CORAL BLEACHING TO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
* What are crown-of-thorns starfish?
Coral-eating starfish on the Great Barrier Reef.
* Why is this outbreak significant?
The outbreak has hit the Swain Reefs, which extend from Gladstone to Rockhampton, further south than the usual outbreak between Townsville and Cooktown.
* Have outbreaks occurred before?
Crown-of-thorns outbreaks had been occurring off the Queensland coast since the 1960s and were responsible for 25 per cent of live coral loss until mass bleaching hit in 2012.
* How are they removed?
Divers inject starfish with a compound of sheep and cattle stomach bile causing an allergic reaction which kills the starfish.
* What is the latest finding on coral bleaching?
A team of international scientists says the time between coral bleaching is becoming too short to make a full recovery. Their study, published in the journal Science, analysed 100 global reef locations. It found coral bleaching has increased rapidly from once every 25 to 30 years in the 1980s to every six years since 2010.
* Why is coral bleaching occurring?
Coral bleaching is a stress response to the ocean temperatures rising. When bleaching is severe and prolonged coral can die.
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