Fiji, lots of crowns of thorn normal or what??

[pword]

One thing we forgot to mention in our trip report to Fiji, Beqa, Lalati, late June/early July is the number of crowns of thorn we saw on the reefs. I think I maybe saw more snorkeling than my husband did diving (one stop I counted nearly 10 just on one point reef!) but most places only about 2. My husband says he saw some each diving day as well.

Does anyone have any information about whether that's normal for Beqa Lagoon or if the crowns are actually increasing, which would be a shame? It was our first trip to the South Pacific so we have no comparison, but it was a bit disheartening and it didn't appear that there is any kind of marine park presence or entity there able to deal with them and protect the reefs if they get out of hand...

 

[Hodge Podge]

We are leaving next week for BLR. I have not been there for about two years. We have seen any in our past trips, so maybe this is a new problem.
I found this article last week:

"TO prevent the reef system from degrading, Treasure Island resort has a program which has been successful.

Environmental Officer Katrina Masitabua said following a site survey for Crown of Thorns Outbreak (COTS) in May 2007 by Ocean Antics Consulting it was decided that a program be put together to try and reduce the overall number of COTS on the house reefs surrounding Eluvuka Island, more commonly known as Treasure Island.

Initially the program started out as a voluntary operation involving all staff who were paid $1 per crown, this then dropped to $0.50 per crown. This quickly degenerated and the program died down.

"This remained so for a short time before management decided there was a high chance that most of the reef system would be degraded and lost.

"Several divers were then employed specifically for COTS diving and the program in still on going today. Monitoring is conducted daily via surveys of frequented reef patches by the islands, she said.

The close proximity of the island's house reefs to other sunken reef patches is a possible means of migration of COTS populations from one healthy reef to the next making control efforts an ongoing occurrence that must be maintained for what would likely be years.

COTS divers on the island started out using injection guns injecting COTS with a solution of Sodium Bisulphate, which is the most inexpensive method apart from physical removal, she said.

In December of 2008, divers began removing them physically and records of COTS sizes ranging from 13cm to 40cm were kept.

In the month of June, 2009 a total of 403 COTS were removed from the surrounding reef, a lot less than the 862 individuals that were removed in May of the same year."
Source Project saves reefs - Fiji Times Online

 

[Papa_Bear]

I discovered them last year and BLR is working to take as many as possible out! We, the Dive Boys, Tony Wiley, and Myself took out about 800 in just over an hour! We filled a boat and they burned them! 8 years ago we found one out near Frigates Pass. I love the shore dive at BLR for macro and ran into them in number! I know they're working hard, but all the resorts and even the visitors must keep at it to get ahead of the buggers! I noticed dead coral where only one half was bleached and I knew they had to be there!

The resorts is the best line of defense and will do whatever it takes to ensure the health of the reef!