MURDER in the Great Barrier Reef. Murder I say!

There's en masse bloody murder going on down in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We're talking gajillions of lives being snuffed out per hour down there. And just like its all YOUR fault Brazilian Rednecks (BR's) are slashing and burning the Amazon, it's time for your comeuppance!


The number one preventable slayer of coral in the GBR is..........................



......The Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS).

On healthy coral reefs, the coral-eating starfish plays an important role, as it tends to feed on the fastest growing corals such as staghorn and plate corals, allowing slower growing coral species to form colonies. This helps increase coral diversity. However, outbreaks of the venomous starfish pose one of the most significant threats to the Great Barrier Reef. According to research by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, coral cover on surveyed reefs between 1985 and 2012 declined by about 50 per cent over that 27 year period. Crown-of-thorns starfish were responsible for almost half of this decline. www.gbrmpa.gov.au...

Based on the world’s most extensive time series data on reef condition (2,258 surveys of 214 reefs over 1985–2012), we show a major decline in coral cover from 28.0% to 13.8% (0.53% y−1), a loss of 50.7% of initial coral cover. Tropical cyclones, coral predation by crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), and coral bleaching accounted for 48%, 42%, and 10% of the respective estimated losses, amounting to 3.38% y−1 mortality rate. Importantly, the relatively pristine northern region showed no overall decline. The estimated rate of increase in coral cover in the absence of cyclones, COTS, and bleaching was 2.85% y−1, demonstrating substantial capacity for recovery of reefs. In the absence of COTS, coral cover would increase at 0.89% y−1, despite ongoing losses due to cyclones and bleaching. Thus, reducing COTS populations, by improving water quality and developing alternative control measures, could prevent further coral decline and improve the outlook for the Great Barrier Reef. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

But wait! It turns out humans have invented robots that seek and destroy them!

Crown-of-thorns starfish are the zombies of the sea. They won’t die even if you cut them in half. To kill one, you must dismember it completely—or inject it with poisonous (to them) bile salts. Instead of braaains, these zombies munch coral, and off the coast of Australia, infestations of the beasts are damaging the Great Barrier Reef at an alarming rate. Enter COTSbot. In development since late 2014, the underwater droid identifies and assassinates the ravenous stars—autonomously. Unlike a human diver, the COTSbot can work safely in rough seas for eight hours at a time and doesn’t ask for a paycheck. The machine uses an acoustic sensor to navigate the reef and a camera to identify its prey from afar with 99 percent accuracy. www.wired.com...

But nope, forget all that. Since you're a human and you exhale CO2, we'll make the entire discussion about that instead of what's really going on here: the fact that irrigation runoff both weakens the coral while strengthening the COTS, thus enhancing their destructive capabilities across the GBR.

So instead of rally people against this actual pollution menace, and towards efforts to help get funding for more robots and dive teams to kill the starfish, instead we'll just be enablers and freak about about computer models of climate forecasts and call it "science"!

Meaning the people that are supposed to be the vanguards -against foul practices we know are murdering the corals- it seems to me are sharing the guilt with the lazy farmers whom let all those nutrients go to waste down the bayou and out into the drink. These people the lot of them drink Bloody Mary's on ice, no doubt about it.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

A very important subject.

I think it is worthy to note that most sunscreens have ingredients that may be extremely harmful to coral reefs: oxybenzone and octinoxate. If you use sunscreen, it may be helpful to seek out and support companies/products that do not use/contain these ingredients.

Ocean Conservancy Article: link

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Let me start off with the fact I don't believe the doom 'n gloom of climate change, but is there anything in the way of research on these 'COTS' and their breeding habits?

It is entirely possible we have affected an area that allowed them to thrive.

They just need to introduce more Triton Snails

With its prickly array of spines, the coral-destroying crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) may turn off most predators – but not this sea snail. The Pacific triton (Charonia tritonis) – a massive snail that can grow a shell up to half a metre long – lives in coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific.

Solution: Introduce goats.

They eat everything right? That's what I've been told anyways.... I can see it now....and it looks AMAAAZING

A2D

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss




Yeah lets also not mention fertilizer runoff - thanks to the subsidized ( or soon to be ) "poison" Sugar Industry


www.qld.gov.au...

How are nutrient and pesticide losses damaging the reef?

Declining marine water quality, influenced by terrestrial runoff, is recognised as one of the most significant threats to the long-term health of the Great Barrier Reef. Pesticides, sediment and nutrient losses are some of the most harmful contributors:

Pesticides pose a risk to aquatic organisms, particularly in freshwater areas and inshore and coastal ecosystems.

Nutrient losses are associated with algal blooms, micro-organisms species shifts and coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) outbreaks across the reef. The current scientific consensus is that nitrogen inputs have a higher correlation with COTS outbreaks than other nutrients such as phosphorus; however all nutrient inputs can contribute to the issue.

On top of this, the cumulative pressure of additional stressors such as extreme rainfall, thermal stress, salinity stress, light stress, cyclone damage and COTS outbreaks can add to the likelihood, prevalence and impacts of coral disease. All of these pressures and stressors impact the reef’s resilience and its recovery following extreme weather events. Good water quality is crucial to improving the reef’s resilience and ability to recover from these pressures.

Reducing the loss of nutrients, sediment and pesticides from your farm will reduce end-of-catchment loads and agricultural chemicals which will help enhance reef resilience in the face of continuing climate change pressures.

How are the nutrients and pesticides from my farm ending up in the reef?

Governments urged to act on sugar prices
20 Jul 2018, 12:33 p.m.

www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au...

AUSTRALIA is among a numbers of countries calling for Pakistan, India and the European Union to eliminate subsidies that have created a glut of sugar and caused a collapse in world prices.

One day the truth of the poisonous nature of refined white sugar will make it a relic of the past

a reply to: Gargoyle91

they're going to...

www.environment.gov.au...

As part of its commitment under the Reef 2050 Plan, the Government is investing $568,000 towards research trials into breeding of the starfish’s feared predator – the giant triton sea snail (Charonia tritonis).

“The Turnbull Government is taking an innovative approach to managing the marine environment and tackling the big problems. This new project builds on the success of Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) research which found crown-of-thorns starfish avoid an areas where triton sea snails are present,” said the Minister for the Environment and Energy, the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP.

The study, funded through the Australian Government’s Reef Program, showed that exposing crown-of-thorns starfish to triton secretomes produced an alarm response

originally posted by: Gargoyle91
They just need to introduce more Triton Snails

With its prickly array of spines, the coral-destroying crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) may turn off most predators – but not this sea snail. The Pacific triton (Charonia tritonis) – a massive snail that can grow a shell up to half a metre long – lives in coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific.

As we've seen in other places that could go very badly.

One day the truth of the poisonous nature of refined white sugar will make it a relic of the past






I've cut fructose and white sugar out of my diet as much as humanly possible and reduced bread consumption by at least 50%.

At 42 years old I've never felt better in my life. Although I will from time to time get ridiculously intense cravings for something sweet that I've yet to find an antidote for.

I'll usually have one of those mini cans of Pepsi and I'm good for a couple weeks/month.

The cravings were much more frequent when I did this 2 years ago. It would be every 3-4 days.

Cutting fructose and white sugar out of my diet was 10x harder than quitting smoking. AINEC.

a reply to: Gargoyle91

I am told cane toads eat starfish