Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Good

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• The general scientific view is that occasional outbreaks are to some extent natural, but that human impacts have increased their frequency and severity.  Recent research has found that the number of reefs where outbreaks occur is markedly lower in zones closed to fishing.
• It appears that human impacts have increased the frequency and severity of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• What constitutes a crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak?
  
• What constitutes a crown-of-thorns outbreak II?
  
• Nutrient inputs and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish
  
• Crown-of-thorns starfish in the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Patterns of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks [790KB]
  
• A review of possible causes and consequences of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks
  
• Regulation of crown-of-thorns starfish by fish predators
  
• Growth and recruitment of crown-of-thorns starfish
  
• Feeding and nutrition of crown-of-thorns larvae
  
• e-ATLAS Large-scale manta tow surveys of densities of crown of thorns starfish and benthic cover by the AIMS LTMP 
  
• No-take reserves protect coral reefs from predatory starfish
• Recovery of coral reefs after crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks
• Requiem for the reef: crown-of-thorns, a story of official distortion
• Development intensification and water quality pressures on the Great Barrier Reef ecosystems

Existing policies and management actions

• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  
• Policy on managing activities that include the direct take of a Protected Species from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
  
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
• Fisheries: other management tools
• Fisheries: information systems 
• Implementation of WTO conditions and recommendations from the latest EPBC assessment: progress by fishery
• East coast fin fish fishery independent review
• Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014 
• Queensland Fisheries policies and legislation
  
• Queensland Fisheries monitoring 
• Queensland Management of Commercial Fisheries
  
• Queensland Management of Recreational Fisheries 
• Water Quality Guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (2009)
  
• Regional Water Quality Improvement Plans 
• Improving water quality

Future management requirements

• Future management requirements in this area are being guided by ongoing assessment of emerging research outcomes and issues identified by the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009.

Defined research questions

• There are currently no defined research questions for this topic. Research questions will be developed, giving priority to interactions/issues that are of most concern to management.

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring