Invasive Crown of Thorns Starfish (CoTS) have been destroying Australian coral reefs at an alarming rate, but new research reveals a very simple weapon that could be used against them.
The study demonstrated that household vinegar kills the starfish just as effectively as expensive drugs currently being used to tackle the problem, James Cook University reported. Vinegar has been unsuccessfully tested on the starfish in the past, but now a team of researchers has refined the application process to achieve a kill rate of 100 percent.
"Currently divers use 10 or 12 [milliliters] of ox-bile to kill each CoTS. It's expensive, requires permits and has to be mixed to the right concentration. We used 20 ml of vinegar, which is half the price and can be bought off the shelf at any local supermarket," said lead author Lisa Boström-Einarsson.
The CoTS, which are breeding at an "epidemic" rate, were did within 48 hours of the vinegar injection. The researchers also demonstrated that the dead CoTS were fed on by live fish in a lab setting without appearing to impose negative side effects. The team noted large-scale field trials are required to ensure the method will not cause further harm to the reef's ecosystem. Sea trials are expected to begin for the new vinegar method by the end of the year.
"There's no reason to think it won't work or it'll be dangerous, but we have to be sure," Boström-Einarsson said.
Despite the hope the findings bring, the researchers pressed that it will take more than just vinegar to save the ocean's coral reefs.
"It has been estimated there are between [four] and 12 million of the starfish on the Great Barrier Reef alone and each female produce around 65 million eggs in a single breeding season. They managed to kill around 350 000 last year with two full-time boat crews. While it would take an insane effort to cull them all that way, we know that sustained efforts can save individual reefs,"Boström-Einarsson concluded.
This project was funded by the Ian Potter Foundation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Grants Scheme and the Australian Museum's Lizard Island Research Station.
