Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) Outbreak and Clean-Up
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- Crown Of Thorns (COTS) Outbreak and Clean-Up
On May 23, 2021, we found a large area in Bauan Batangas Philippines that’s badly infested with hundreds of Crown-Of-Thorns starfish.
Crown-Of-Thorns starfish (also known as COTS) are marine invertebrates that feed on Corals. If uncontrolled, they can reach plague proportions and devastate hard coral communities turning them into coral skeletons.
This video shows the extent of the COTS outbreak and how we tried to remove them last Sunday, May 23 2021. What was planned to be a 45 minute dive turned into a 70 minutes total dive time since there were so many COTS to remove. When we finally surfaced with full sacks of COTS, there were still countless COTS all over the coral reef.
We plan to return to the infested area every week to remove the COTS. If you dive in Anilao and Bauan Batangas Philippines, you’re welcome to join our clean up dives and help make a difference. Contact GoDivePH for details.
See another infestation equally devastating but of a different kind: • Ocean Mystery: Hundred...
eMail: godiveph@gmail.com
Someone should devise a little bangstick/speargun that injects pellets/vials of bile salts into the starfish. A springloaded mechanism that injects the bile and a biodegradable tag would be very efficient. Just touch a starfish with the tip, the bile is injected, cock the spring back, loading one (or more) new pellet. Poke the next one. The bile kills them in 24 hours, is non-toxic to scavengers, and is what the Cotsbot and Rangerbot uses.
You should get them out of the water within 10seconds after getting them, otherwise they will become stressed and release thousands of eggs. Good job by the way.
I agree, because COTS have extremely high fecundity, which means that if stress is applied on them, as their mechanism for survival, they'll release 50000 to 5M gametes on to the ocean. So, mishandling of COTS can be very detrimental because you didn't actually help but just boosted the outbreak with the released gametes.
Still better than nothing
Anyway they were going to release those eggs unlike few of them are being predated later any time ..
And chances were low as there are few known natural predators of cot
Also by removing them they are eliminating the chances of their future breeding of those mature starfish as they can live upto 20 years
Now imagine with so much eggs production in each year how much they could produce without elimination
@@KolkataMarineHobbyist I read an article at some point about the proper method for removing COTs and it's simply to inject them with Vinegar. This kills them and doesn't cause them to release their eggs. While this video and the people in it are wonderfully intentioned; it tends to lead to more COTs in the area than less.
@nktayloI I saw a video recently where it was discovered that sheep and goat bile injected into the cots kills them. They didn't mention if that method caused the cots to stress and release eggs.
But if good ole cheap and abundant vinegar does in fact kill them without stressing them, that sure sounds like a major win.
We need to mass breed Giant Tritons and release them so they can purge those pests from the reefs!
Wow so many, must feel overwhelming. Great job all. Making a difference 👍
Excellent work! We must help reefs live
But what you are doing with COTS after collecting them from reefs? I'm curious
They’re left under the sun to dry out. In some areas, they are burned. The stench is bad.
@@godiveph1287 Are they edible?
How did you dispose of the COTS? I saw a few while diving the Mamanucas in Fiji last week. Maybe next time I go I will sponsor a cleanup day at the resort and help keep the reefs pristine.
Amazing and great job everybody
If there was a bounty of each intact crown of thorns, lion fish, Nutria, Boa constrictor int he everglades, and pound of purple sea urchin, I'd quit my job yesterday. This looks so fun!
If someone spread a rumor that the COTS have some medicinal benefit, then the COTS would be on the endangered list lol.
Yes it does....it has the exlir of life and longevity 😂😂
COTs are harming our coral reef ecosystems if left uncontrolled! :(
Crown-Of-Thorns starfish (also known as COTS) are marine invertebrates that feed on Corals. If uncontrolled, they can reach plague proportions and devastate hard coral communities turning them into coral skeletons.
This video shows the extent of the COTS outbreak and how we tried to remove them last Sunday, May 23 2021. What was planned to be a 45 minute dive turned into a 70 minutes total dive time since there were so many COTS to remove. When we finally surfaced with full sacks of COTS, there were still countless COTS all over the coral reef.
what do you do with the stashed COTS? How do you kill them?
Cmon guys! Each diver needs to have his/ her own bag to collect. 3 sharing 1 is ridiculous! Waste of precious dive time !
would it be possible to breed and release their natural predators? or does that do more harm than good?
well wild animals that were taken care by humans dont do well in the wild, please prove me wrong
Their natural predators are giant tritons, which are quite rare
This is very satisfying. Thanks! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for your work…
What did you do with the live ones you collected? Wouldn't killing them first have been safer for the divers? I've seen programs where they inject them with poison, then collect the dead. Would that not be better? Plus you'd avoid the egg release (if that's really a danger, haven't looked into it yet).
Is there a law prohibiting the collecting of giant tritons?
Probably, but sadly people still hunt them for their shells
Seems like a bag for every diver would be more efficient, but there's probably a reason why it's not in this video.
Probably the only thing the Chinese wouldn't fish till extinction
So satisfying
Tawag samin yan ay dap-ag (lapa-lapa) pupunta ka ytlaga sa hospital dahil sa sobrang sakit mas malala pa sa sea urchin
this looks like a fun job
Thank you... God job
nice work but what is the long term sustainable solution?
Thanks for your comments. Other than get them as they come, there really isn't any. Australia has been at it for a while and even developed a robotic solution to identify and neutralize the COTS. The know predator of COTS is the giant triton snail. Unfortunately, people get the snails for their beautiful shells. We just all have to be sensitive to the environment and do our part.
Well yes just also some eggs might be caught but still some come out
I wonder what causes the imbalance of the species? Are their natural predators being eaten?
Yes, the Giant Triton Snail are the predators of COTS. Trigger fish too. Thank you for watching.
Good work!!!
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You meed to start breeding giant conch. Release them on the reef and let them help you
Other than by hand, how else can you get rid of them? What happens when you don't? Do they have the capacity to kill the whole coral beds?
They have few natural predators in their native region, and virtually none in any other. Human intervention is needed.
Would probably do better to farm Tritons or at the very least stop taking any that remain for their shells.
❤❤❤
Commendable but futile female cots can lay up to five million eggs
Thanks. We just have to keep trying.
Not futile. A COTS is far easier for fish to eat as an egg or hatchling than as an adult.
Hello, nice videos.
I want to be diving Instructor, can you tell me how many courses I need to do and how much fees? Please
LOL
Looks like y’all need to invest in a couple zoo keepers! Lol
A solution would be to have genetically modified strain that is cannibalistic
The Giant Triton Snail and Trigger Fish are natural predators of the COTS. Thank you for watching.
Watching this noble effort was painful. If there were any tools that are horrible for the job dont worry they used em lol. If each one of you had a spear and their own carrying device Like large plasic cages that are light and can carry 100 at least. You need to spear, deposit and spear again all in 1 motion to be efficient. Im sorry but this way is not even a bad aid. You need ten men with the proper equipment and the proper disposal and ypu can absolutely make a difference when ypu work in grids. Not this way... just nope
Great job removing all those COTS! What about all the plastic trash humans throw in the ocean?
Hi, thank you for watching and for your comments. To your question on trash thrown in the ocean, please see the videos below. These are some of the videos we made during our dives related to protecting our oceans.
ua-cam.com/video/Az9r5t_kj98/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/USoN8Z-4vI0/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/hGRNFO0W_oo/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/xU6FeBBCR-Y/v-deo.html
Our oceans are number one.. not Mars or the moon where we cannot go..
starfish are the main enemy of coral reefs
marami pong salamat sa inyong lahat, sana manalo ako ng Lotto at financially susuportahan kayo.just wait. california, usa
call the octonauts
Feed them to the triton
I’m sure it will be blamed on climate change.
Why don't you guys carry your own sack and collect them, you guys are wasting time and oxygen swimming back and forth to get to the sack everytime you pick one
Hi thank you for comments and suggestions. You’re right that more sacks could speed up the work. However, it’s not that simple underwater when dealing with COTS. Underwater, the currents and surge flaps the sack open and close. Also, we have to be careful not to come in contact with the COTS. They have venomous spines all around their bodies. The spines are brittle and can easily pierce through wetsuit or gloves. These spines are designed to puncture and break and will require surgery to remove while causing swelling, irritation and infection. Imagine trying to open the sack with one hand while pushing in the COTS with the other hand with tongs. The risk of the COTS coming in contact with your hand in this manner is high. So having someone hold the sack open for divers to dump the COTS is a less risky approach.
giant triton eats cots
ua-cam.com/video/r65vkC33myY/v-deo.html
Unfortunately Giant Tritons are not common in the Batangas waters.
@@godiveph1287 it would be pretty awesome if u could bring one or more with you and use them like hand held vacuum cleaners kinda :D
Homo sapiens tongsepia. COTS natural predator
If only they were easier to kill.
interestingly they kinda poop out their stomach and shlorp it over whatever they want to digest- you would think that makes them so very vulnerable to a poisonous trap of some kind. surprised to hear we decided robots was the best idea? XD
@@outseeker they are starfish so naturally they are very hard to kill due to their crazy ability to regenerate. You can chop them in half and there is a chance you just end up with 2 new starfish. As for poison , well regular poison doesn’t really work unless you poison every one of its arms. Strangely scientists have learned that stomach bile can kill them for some reason.
@@ONTOE0 not only does the bile kill them, it doesn't need to be administered to each arm, etc. lol i did some video watching too XD not so tough to kill now are u scumbag starfish!? :D
@@ONTOE0 Wow, I was wondering why they don't just spear them and leave them as a more efficient method, but I see now that that would not help at all, shame...
This is pointless
No its not, The COTS are eating the coral reefs.
@@kallestormrosenberg9745 there's way too many though