[Coral-List] Crown of Thorns Infestations in Raja Ampat

[Phil Dustan]

Hey Listers,
  A colleague of mine has been discovering  local outbreaks of COTs in Raja
Ampat. He and local friends have been spending hours hooking them off the
reefs with subsequent burial ashore. Densities are estimated at  800 to
2000 COTs per hectare on reefs around Waigo.
  We know that vinegar injection guns work well to kill  COTs in the water,
but quite frankly hooking them with a modified spear or using barbecue
tongs is faster and cheaper. So again, if you or your organization is in
the region, think about organizing groups of  locals or sport diving
tourists to go on some COTs dives to help the reefs survive. All you need
is a few bamboo baskets, utensils and some energy. It's post-Earth Day but
the karma carries over. Every day we delay is jut that much more coral
taken out of the gene pool.

I would appreciate it if you are in the region please keep an eye out for
them and please report their whereabouts to me.

  Hope to hear from you soon,
   Phil


-- 
Phillip Dustan
Department of Biology
College of Charleston
Charleston SC  20401
Charleston SC
843 953 8086 (voice)
843-224-3321 (m)

"When we try to pick out anything by itself
we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords
that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe. "
*                                         John Muir 1869*