A volunteer group in Tasmania has cleared a whopping 260 kilograms (573 pounds) of North Pacific seastars from local waters, tackling one of Australia's most troublesome marine pests, reported Yahoo News.
The Invasive Seastar Clean Up team, now in its 64th organized event, has pulled more than 200,000 seastars from the ocean, mainly around the Derwent River.
These toxic ocean stars arrived in Australian waters as stowaways on ships back in the 1980s. They've multiplied with no natural enemies in their new home.
Dr. Tiana Pirtle from the Invasive Species Council told Yahoo News Australia that while total removal is nearly impossible, local efforts make a real difference for nearby ecosystems.
"This is a big issue for invasive species management," she explained. "When you have open contiguous landscapes — like the entire ocean — it is near impossible to eradicate some species, even terrestrial animals in Australia, we will probably never eradicate feral cats from mainland Australia."
These unwanted visitors pose a serious threat to Australia's underwater world. Scientists estimate about 30 million now swim in Tasmanian waters alone, where they prey on native shellfish, including commercially valuable oysters and scallops.
The problem? These seastars breed at an astonishing rate. "They release thousands of eggs per individual, so it's hard to imagine how many they would produce each year — but it's billions," Benita Vincent, who leads the cleanup program, told Yahoo News.
Like many invasive species, removing them creates new challenges. "As soon as you remove a bunch of individuals, it creates a vacuum, and now there's more resources available, and it's quite attractive for new individuals to come in," Dr. Pirtle said.
The battle against these oceanic invaders shows why protecting native habitats matters so much. Native species form balanced ecosystems that naturally resist outside threats. When we introduce non-native plants or animals, they often outcompete native species without any natural checks on their growth.
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Absolutely 💯 "Unfortunately, I think we are fighting a losing battle sometimes on that regard. But that's not to say local control programs can make a difference at a very local scale," Dr. Pirtle added.
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For everyday Australians, supporting volunteer efforts like these can help protect marine environments.
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