Marine scientists and LGU personnel conducted a removal operation of Crown of Thorns Starfish in the waters off Barangay Cabalwa, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro on Friday, to protect coral reefs from the destructive species.

Dr. Katherine Escalona from Mindoro State University – Victoria Campus led the activity with Tina Shella Jarabe, founder of Mindoro AdvenTours, and the Mindoro Mountaineers and Adventurers Club.

The municipal environment office (MENRO), agriculture office, tourism office, and LGU employees also participated in the activity.

The Crown of Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci), a coral-eating predator, poses a threat to reef ecosystems when populations explode beyond natural levels.

A single starfish can consume up to 10 square meters of coral per year, and outbreaks have been documented across Indo-Pacific reefs, including Philippine waters.

These marine invertebrates, covered in venomous spines, feed primarily on hard corals that provide essential habitat for fish and other marine life.

Scientists attribute population increase to factors including agricultural runoff that increases nutrient levels in coastal waters, promoting phytoplankton blooms that feed starfish larvae, as well as overfishing of natural predators like the humphead wrasse and certain triton snails.

The removal operation is necessary to sustain reef health in Mindoro, which contains some of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems.

Coral reefs support fisheries that provide livelihoods for Mindoreños.

Manual collection remains one of the primary control methods for Crown of Thorns outbreaks, though the work is labor-intensive and requires careful handling due to the starfish’s venomous spines.

Photos courtesy of LGU Mansalay via Public Information Office