Crown-of-thorns starfish cleared from Leyte reefs
TACLOBAN CITY—To prevent further damage to coral reefs in Southern Leyte, personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) joined local divers in removing some 1,300 crown-of-thorns (COT) starfish from the waters off Barangay Himay-angan in Liloan town.
The large-scale injection and extraction activity is part of the PCG’s iCare Program, a marine conservation campaign aimed at protecting and rehabilitating coastal and marine ecosystems.
Partners
Participants included members of Coast Guard Substation Maasin, the Marine Environmental Protection and Response Unit-Southern Leyte, the Coast Guard K9 team in Liloan and personnel from Field Station Southern Leyte.
They were assisted by the “Dap-ag” Boys, a group of local divers from Liloan, and members of Lukas Dive.
The team covered about 400 square meters of reef area during the operation. Authorities reported that around 500 COT starfish were neutralized through injection, while roughly 800 were manually extracted, bringing the total number removed to approximately 1,300.
Destructive threat
The COT starfish (Acanthaster planci) feeds on live coral tissue and is considered one of the most destructive threats to coral reef ecosystems when populations surge.
Unchecked outbreaks can rapidly strip reefs of living coral, reducing marine biodiversity and affecting fish populations that sustain coastal communities dependent on fishing and tourism.
Marine experts note that proactive removal efforts are crucial to preventing widespread reef degradation, especially in biodiversity-rich areas like Southern Leyte, known for its dive sites and marine resources.
Authorities said the intervention was necessary to curb a potential outbreak and protect the ecological balance of the area.
The PCG also called on local communities and stakeholders to stay vigilant and actively participate in protecting the province’s marine resources.
