Cook Islands Wages War On 'Plague' Of Hungry Starfish

Divers in the Cook Islands are battling destructive crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks that threaten coral reefs already weakened by climate change.

Transcript

00:00In the Cook Islands, coral reefs are under attack.

00:09A starfish called Crown of Thorns is eating the coral, making things worse for reefs already hurt by climate change.

00:17Each starfish can destroy over 10 square meters of reef in a year.

00:23They have sharp spikes and many arms and their numbers are growing fast.

00:29Divers are fighting back using simple wooden sticks to pull the starfish off the coral.

00:34One of the reasons why we are doing this is because we know that climate change is becoming a problem, particularly with the growth of the reef.

00:47They collect thousands every year to save the reef.

00:51I think there seems to be a Pacific-wide outbreak at the moment because we are hearing other countries facing similar challenges at the moment.

01:02Some argue that the problem of the crown of thorns has become chronic in the last few decades.

01:08Some are even turned into garden fertilizer. Outbreaks are now being seen across the Pacific.

01:15Our ancestors respected that ocean. We fear the ocean and therefore in a way it's protected.

01:25We're never about exploring the bottom of the ocean because our ancestors believe it's the place of the gods. We don't belong there.

01:33Experts say warmer seas and pollution may be causing more of these starfish to appear.

01:39The reefs are in danger but people are taking action to protect them.