Bounty offered for crown-of-thorns starfish in Penghu
澎湖棘冠海星獲懸賞
| TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Penghu Water Recreation Activities Association is offering a bounty of NT$300 (US$10) for each crown-of-thorns starfish caught in local waters.
The starfish pose a danger to local marine ecology as they feed on coral polyps, which are the soft, living tissue of coral reefs. The presence of these starfish is a menace, quickly killing off large tracts of coral reefs, per CNA. So far, the first stage of the bounty program netted 180 crown-of-thorns starfish. Collecting starfish is difficult, as they often live on the underside of coral structures and can be hidden from view. Another challenge, according to PWRAA Chair Chen Chung-han (陳中行), is that crown-of-thorns starfish contain venomous spines, which can cause pain upon human contact. The difficulty of the harvest leads some to work day and night to remove the starfish. Chen said the first stage in the starfish removal was offering a bounty to the public. Later, the program would be turned over to a private enterprise to carry out. He said the harvest of the starfish will be closely monitored to ensure the coral reef ecosystem remains healthy. According to Chen, harvested starfish will be dried and later processed into feed for marine animals at the Penghu Marine Biology Research Center. At the beginning of June, a group of Penghu volunteers carried out a marine survey near Cimei Island, finding 47 crown-of-thorns starfish along eight survey lines covering a 4,000-square-meter area. This density of the starfish indicates coral loss and is just below the outbreak threshold. Dongsha Island faces a similar crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak. Authorities have countered with a multi-year program recruiting volunteers, divers, and experts to harvest the starfish to protect coral reefs. |
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| Sean Scanlan Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2025-07-02 |
