Heavy Damage On Fiji Reefs

Although not yet as bad as on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef,

damage caused to Fiji’s reefs by

the crown of thorns starfish is

proving worse than anticipated.

A count of starfish by the Fiji Fisheries Division was high enough to cause concern in November.

The count was based on the num ber of starfish found in 100 minutes of search—and searches were made at 11 points on Viti Levu, five on Vanua Levu, four on Ovalau and Moturiki and two on Kadavu.

Numbers found were lower than the 5,750 found at Green Island, Queensland, but they were associated with the destruction of wide areas of reef.

At Serua, 176 were found in 100 minutes and 23 per cent, of the reef was found to be recently dead coral.

At Wailevu, Savusavu Bay—where sedimentation, over - fishing and sewage were counted as contributing to the poor state of the reef—2l2 starfish were found. About a quarter of the reef they were on was dead.

Other badly infested areas were at the Korolevu Beach Hotel, Namuriwai, Ra and at Malakai Island.

Destruction of coral at Namuriwai and Malakai was reported to be very heavy, as it was at Solo Light and Buliya, Kadavu.

A spokesman for the Fisheries Division commented that the davui shell had been heavily collected throughout the areas.

This and the giant helmet shell, he J said » the most important P redators °f the starfish.

During the survey, not one davui was seen But in the v i ßages aroU nd the islands they were on sale—and countless hundreds have been sold over recent years. while there were other factors con tributing to the dead reefs, said the division, the starfish was the main cause of reef death

Coral branches, favourite food of the starfish.