The third identified outbreak of the crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) is currently occurring in parts of the Great Barrier Reef. There are indications that the current outbreak will 'spread' further as large numbers of juvenile COTS have been identified on reefs around the latitude of 18 degrees south. The COTS phenomenon is not unique to the Great Barrier Reef as there are also indications that outbreaks may be widely spread throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has received information about COTS populations from countries such as Fiji, Indonesia, Mauritius, Maldives, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Samoa, South Africa, Vanuatu, and the Red Sea region. Thus it is important for GBRMPA to gather such information in order to assess the nature of these 'outbreaks' especially in terms of cause and effects! The COTSWATCH program serves to facilitate the gathering of COTS information.

On the Great Barrier Reef the COTSWATCH survey program has been running since 1993. A network of information gatherers are involved including charter boat operators, tourists and local visitors to reefs, Marine Parks officers and Navy personnel, in fact, basically anybody who goes to a reef! The information entered on the survey form provides researchers with numbers of COTS seen, proportions of recently and long dead coral, the size, grouping, and visibility of COTS, locational information for site identification, as well as other details that may be considered relevant such as spawning or predation events.

The information provided by this program supplements the efforts of researchers and managers as it serves to indicate the occurrence of COTS in areas not necessarily frequented by researchers. It is not possible to survey all 3000+ reefs in the Great Barrier Reef each year so any efforts which provide in situ information are of great value. Similarly, many overseas reefs are not being surveyed by marine scientists. That's where you come in!!

• Read more about Crown of Thorns Starfish Control Programme on the Great Barrier Reef