[Coral-List] COT current status
Kaveh Samimi
kaveh_s_n at yahoo.com
Wed Jan 21 07:42:35 EST 2009
Dear Iain,
As far as I know this is the only observation of COT at Iranian side of the Gulf.
Price ARG, Rezai H (1996) New echinoderm records for the Gulf including crown of thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus) and their biogeographical significance. Fauna of Saudi Arabia (15): 386-390
Cheers,
Kaveh
________________________________
From: Iain Macdonald <dr_iamacdonald at yahoo.co.uk>
To: "Fadlalla, Yusef H" <yusef.fadlalla at aramco.com>; Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov; info at crcreef.com; Simon Wilson <simon.wilson at adelphi-env.com>; Kaveh Samimi <kaveh_s_n at yahoo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 8:57:19 AM
Subject: RE: [Coral-List] COT current status
Yusef / Simon - thanks
To my knowledge no COTs have ever been seen or recorded in Qatar, but they have been suggested as a threat, perhaps this "threat" was taken out of context from the general threats to the ROPME Sea area (as reported in the ROPME 2003 "status of the marine environment") in which COT are present. Data is very hard to get here of status of local reefs especially those further offshore / disputed territority.
I would be interested to know if COT are in the UAE and how far along they get, likewise for Iran. Perhaps something interesting could be infered from the distribution.
Cheers,
Iani Macd.
--- On Tue, 20/1/09, Simon Wilson <simon.wilson at adelphi-env.com> wrote:
From: Simon Wilson <simon.wilson at adelphi-env.com>
Subject: RE: [Coral-List] COT current status
To: "'Fadlalla, Yusef H'" <yusef.fadlalla at aramco.com>, dr_iamacdonald at yahoo.co.uk, Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa..gov, info at crcreef.com, "'Karl & Michele'" <michka at fellenius.net>
Date: Tuesday, 20 January, 2009, 4:42 AM
Hi Iain COTS are known from Musandam, Oman, in the Straits of Hormuz. I remember reading in the Iranian National Centre for Oceanography newletter about COTS being found in Iranian waters west of Hormuz. Kaveh Samimi kaveh_s_n at yahoo.com, an Iranian marine biologist, would either know or know someone who knew. Simon Wilson -----Original Message----- From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Fadlalla, Yusef H Sent: 19 January 2009 14:29 To: dr_iamacdonald at yahoo.co.uk; Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov; info at crcreef.com; Karl & Michele Subject: Re: [Coral-List] COT current status Iain, We have no record of COT sighting from Saudi Arabian reefs in the ROPME Sea Area. Are you suggesting that the COT was sighted in Qatar? Yusef Fadlalla -----Original Message----- From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of
Iain Macdonald Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 9:56 AM To: Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov; info at crcreef.com; Karl & Michele Subject: Re: [Coral-List] COT current status Karl and list, I have a different question on COT to those posed by Karl and Michele stimulated by a recent presentation on local (Qatar) threats to coral reefs. COT was one of the threats. However, i was under the impression that COT did not exist this far into the ROPME Sea Area since the salinity (typically between 39-42) was to high for junvenile survival. Have i been misinformed about juvenile survival? If the COT do not exist here (which is true as far as i know) i do not want people to mis-direct their efforts in reef conservation on a red herring (pardon the pun). How far do COT expand into the area? If you work in Iran/UAE (or any other country in the neighbourhood) let me know the furthest extent of a sighting please. Thanks, Iain Macd. --- On Fri,
16/1/09, Karl & Michele <michka at fellenius.net> wrote: From: Karl & Michele <michka at fellenius.net> Subject: [Coral-List] COT current status To: Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov, info at crcreef.com Date: Friday, 16 January, 2009, 2:23 AM Dear coral list and CRC, I have been looking at the 2003 CRC info doc on crown of thorns at www.reef.crc.org.au/publications/brochures/COTS_web_Nov2003.pdf as well as a few other web publications. I do environmental assessments in Vanuatu and currently there is a COT outbreak on Efate. I am seeking fairly specific references to published works on linkages between nutrients, algae and COTs. Not so much from a coastal run-off perspective but more related to harvesting of herbivores and omnivores in the aquarium trade. Efate has an very active fish and invertebrate export. COT outbreaks are occurring in their collection areas as well as a number of other areas. I realise there are numerous factors at
play. Last year this was a fairly heated topic here with many differing opinions and official responses denying any connections between the trade and COTs. However, both 'outbreaks' continue on Efate ... I have been asked by a group made up of villagers, ex-pat residents, and others seeking answers to these questions to do what I can. My background is such that I believe these hypotheses to be true, although I have not carried out the research. I trust that others have. After last years' mess on this subject I have maintained a fairly low profile but now there are many people here that are furious that nothing beyond individual groups doing COT removals has been done. So I find myself reluctantly re-entering the discussion of trying to persuade players that should know better, again. I am not entering that foray again without published references. I am looking for references on any of the following points. I am not looking for an
emotional back-and-forth between proponents and opponents of the aquarium trade. The coral list has already been used for that. Pre-outbreak stimuli -Quite a bit of research suggests that COTs thrive in the presence of pollution and algae that ensues. A lot of that comes from excessive nutrient discharges in areas of run-off, like Mele Bay. Moreover, further research suggests that nutrient discharges can actually stimulate reproduction in COTs, outside of their normal spawning times in Dec & Jan (when, by the way, COTs should not be collected because handling can trigger early spawning). Other research goes yet further and suggests that loss of herbivores and omnivores can stimulate existing COTs to eat more, and faster. This happens because in the absence of such fish in particular, there is more algae and especially cyanobacteria left on the reef. And that brings us back to the first point above, that COTs thrive in algae conditions.
So its really about what causes the algae, not so much as what causes the COTs directly. There is correlation between aquarium fish collection and COTs outbreaks with respect to the issue of the algae. It makes sense. Albeit this has not conclusively been shown to be cause-effect, only a correlation. It is just my personal opinion and the opinion of others that actually study the matter. There is a heck of alot of 'bad' algae around in current fish collection areas, particularly in Mele Bay. This might help to explain the COT explosion on Efate (fish collection and nutrient pollution) and possibly Santo (some nutrient pollution), but not on Epi. -Research is not out yet on pelagic and benthic movement of COTs. Some people speculate that spawning COTs in Fiji are one reason behind the COTs here. I find that a bit far-fetched but who knows? I've seen juveniles, but not anything near larval stages. Could this be the source for COTs on
Epi? I don't really know. The point is that it doesn't have to be the same reason everywhere. Its a mixed bag, as with most disturbances in the marine environment. It is also possible that the Epi population came from Efate. I heard that a few years back it was on Emae, before it hit North Efate. From Emae to Epi makes sense, but why Emae? -It is clear that the Triton shell and the Napoleon are natural predators of COTs. But is their depletion through local consumption enough to explain Epi? I doubt it. Its definitely a contributor though. Post-outbreak response -It is clear however that coral recruitment on COTs impacted reefs (or any impacted reefs that have lost coral) will decrease if hervivores and omnivores are in less supply than normal. The algae prevents new coral from settling. Moreover, dead coral covered in algae breaks off, and contributes to loose rubble further limiting coral recruitment not to mention same rubble
that moves around in surge which damages surviving corals. Thus I sincerely believe that what we are losing now in terms of coral cover on Efate will not come back until herbivore and omnivore fish populations return to normal. Even then it will take a long time, considering all the pollution and global climate stressors acting concurrently. Even then it may be too little, too late. That in my mind is potentially a much more far-reaching issue than determining what is causing the outbreak in the first place. The latter point is sufficient in my mind to take a good, hard look at the impacts of the aquarium trade here in Vanuatu. Thank you, Karl ** Karl Fellenius, Director & Michele Dricot, Manager Vaughani Shores Vanuatu Pangona Estates, Efate Postal Box 3158 Port Vila VANUATU office +678 29273 (AWARE) mobileK +678 7773329 mobileM +678 7773326 email VaughaniShores at vanuatu.com.vu web
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