Crown of Thorn Starfish -Podcast interview

Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) are marine invertebrates native to the Great Barrier Reef. They feed exclusively on live coral and grow rapidly, producing millions of offspring once they mature. COTS outbreaks cause significant damage to coral reefs across large areas, and are one of the major causes of coral decline across the Great Barrier Reef over the past 40 years. We caught up with marine scientist, David Williamson, who heads up the Reef Authority's Crown-of-thorns Control Program, to chat about these voracious Reef-dwellers. David shares his insights on how to monitor, control, and prevent COTS outbreaks, as well as the latest research and innovations.

Chapters:
00:00

Introduction
01:05 

Why do you love the Reef?
02:54 

Study
05:14 

What are crown-of-thorns starfish?
09:19 

COTS Program
12:57 

Why not eradicate?
17:05 

How do you prioritise reefs?
18:11 

History of the Program
19:56 

Deployment
22:00 

Culling
22:46 

Distribution
24:20 

Spawning
25:24 

Age and Growth
26:29 

Injection Methods
28:41 

Funding & Partners
30:47 

Research
31:31 

Actions Taken
35:14 

Bleaching
36:34 

Protecting Strong Coral
37:35 

Ecosystem
37:35 

Coral Cover
39:53 

Capacity and Methods
43:15 

Case Study
48:03 

Wrap Up