First Time but Need Help

[BELYOHA]

I am a lonely biologist in the United Arab Emirates and need some help for a
small group of active Emirate national divers.  They have been asked to help
remove - crown-of-thorns starfish from reefs in the Sharjah Emirate, Khor
Fakkan coast on the west end of the Gulf of Oman.  I am seeking any
contacts, assistance, pointers on how best to remove the creatures.  We are
also trying to figure out why/how they became so prominent and perhaps
expanding in the western end of the Gulf of Oman and into the Arab/Persian
Gulf.

We are also asking for assistance from the Australians and I wanted to find
out if there are any guidance from other areas of the globe.

We can mobilise about 20 divers for two weeks and once they are familiar
with the conditions and procedures they will become the teachers/masters for
other groups.

We will try to do some science along the way and hopefully the local
agencies will support the effort for at least one year to see how and where
it goes.

Please advise on any tricks or cautions you might have for the COTS or other
stars/coral predators which might be applicable....

Thanks Alot - Dr. Tom Williams, UCB,1972....