Protecting the Coral Reefs: A Spiky Operation in Penghu Waters

TaiwanPlus News

An invasive species of starfish is spreading in Penghu's waters, feasting on the coral and damaging the ecosystem. Taiwan has launched an emergency operation to deal with the starfish.

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00:00With its vibrant coral reefs, the outlying islands of Penghu are a favorite destination

00:07for divers from around the world. But these divers aren't sightseeing. They're on a mission,

00:12searching for a spiky predator that's invading Penghu's waters.

00:19The poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish, also known as the coral killer,

00:24preys on hard stony coral, like the ones in Penghu's waters.

00:28Taiwan reported its first large-scale outbreak of the starfish in 2010

00:32and has been closely monitoring them ever since.

00:35Marine protection volunteers noticed a resurgence this month in the Qimei area.

00:41In response, the government organized a volunteer dive team to carry out a spiky operation,

00:47manually removing the invasive species.

00:58The government aims to develop long-term prevention strategies

01:10and a regional response system to protect Taiwan's marine ecosystems.

01:14With continued monitoring and swift responses,

01:17Taiwan hopes to stay one step ahead of the spiky invader

01:20and preserve the vibrant reefs that make Penghu a marine treasure.

01:25Leon Lian and Chelsea Wu for Taiwan Plus.

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