Saudi Arabia explores the population of Crown-of-thorns starfish

Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Wildlife Development has initiated research on the crown-of-thorns starfish in the Red Sea with the aim of improving comprehension and managing subsequent outbreaks of this coral-eating organism. This is reported by Arab News.

The National Centre seeks to establish methods to identify outbreaks and decide how best to control damage to coral reefs in bilateral cooperation with experts from around the globe.

Coral reef ecosystems are severely threatened by the crown-of-thorns starfish, a marine creature that feeds on algae and bacteria that grow on coral reefs.

The most significant species that requires conservation is the humpback sponge (Cheilinus undulatus), commonly referred to as the Napoleon fish or tarpon by the locals.

They regulate the abundance of this hazardous coral reef predator by feeding on the crown-of-thorns starfish.

Over 860 humphead wrasse have been returned to the wild since 2010.

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