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Dive teams successfully eradicate 1400 alamea from local reefs

The Alamea Eradication Project has netted positive results for the territory.  The eight-man dive team from off island eradicated a total of 1,440 Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) during a ten-day period that included 32 dives and 184 dive hours, encompassing a distance of 20.6 miles.

 

A special briefing to provide an official update on the status of the Alamea Eradication Project was held at the Tauese P.F. Sunia Ocean Center this past Monday where students from two local high schools, media representatives, Swains Islands faipule Rep. Su’a Eli Alexander Jennings, and Chairperson of the Coral Reef Advisory Group (CRAG) Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga were among those in attendance.

 

Dr. Wendy Cover of the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa (NMSAS) was able to provide a wealth of information during her presentation on the description and importance of COTS.

 

According to her, more COTS larvae survive in waters where nutrient levels are elevated. In our case, this comes from oceanographic upwelling, and sewage outflow, animal waste, and fertilizers that wash into the ocean.

 

The last outbreak of Alamea in the territory began in 1977 and during that time, a total of 480,000 COTS were removed although the damage had already been done, with American Samoa losing over 80% of its coral at the time.

 

Afterwards, there was a notable impact on the fish population and it took a long time for the coral to recover.

 

Earlier this month, through a collaboration of local and federal agencies, a team of eight divers from the NOAA Dive Center and NMSAS sister sanctuaries— Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary —arrived in the territory to assist in the Alamea Eradication Project. They brought with them specialized high tech equipment that allow them to dive to depths of 60 - 100ft. for four hours at a time, on a single tank.

 

The team had a list of priority sites to target, including Fagatele, Aunu’u, Fagamalo, Amanave, Asili, Leone, Alofau, Auasi, and the Aoa/Sailele area. After ten days of diving, the group was able to inject a total of 1,440 Alamea in the following areas:

 

Agapie-142

 

Mataututele-36

 

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Massacre Bay-16

 

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Aoloau Bay-206

 

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Nuuuli/Airport-63

 

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The most efficient method of removing the Alamea is by injecting them with ox bile, a substance that kills the starfish but does not harm the reef. A special bile injector that can hold enough bile to inject about 400 COTS at a time was used and injections are fast, reducing the risk of divers being stung.

 

One of the questions raised during the briefing was the effect, if any, these injections would have on other microorganisms in the ocean, and if injected COTS pose a threat to other sea creatures that may feed on them after they are injected.

 

Dr. Wendy Cover explained that once injected, COTS die within a 24-48 hour time period and they have “a lot of confidence in this method.”

 

Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga added that as Director of the Dept. of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), “We are conservationists, and we would never do anything that would harm the environment.” She added, “We would never subject any creatures to harm.”

 

According to her, prior to the arrival of the dive team, DMWR staff members were literally removing Alamea from local waters, not injecting them. “It was a lot of work but it had to be done,” she said.

 

Deputy Superintendent of Research and Field Operations for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Randall Kosaki, Ph.D., said Monday that in his 30 years of diving around the Pacific, the corals he saw at Fagatele Bay were among the “most beautiful” he has ever seen.

 

He said they cleared different sites across the territory, including the territorial no-take zones, sites listed on the priority list, and areas belonging to the NMSAS and the National Park of American Samoa.

 

He added that when they conducted a sweep of Fagatele Bay, they found only four COTS. “This is good news,” he said. “This means the outbreak isn’t everywhere,” he continued, adding that they only found one Alamea in Aunu’u.

 

LONG TERM SOLUTIONS

 

A Samoana High School student who attended the briefing wanted to know if there were any long-term solutions to the Alamea problem.

 

Matagi-Tofiga said her office continues to conduct coral reef monitoring surveys and they do partner with the local fishermen, “because they are our eyes and ears in the community,” she said, adding that it was reports of Alamea sightings from local fishermen that brought the current Alamea outbreak to light.

 

Christianera Tuitele of the AS Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA) assured those in attendance that her office is doing their part to help out with the project. She explained that too many local residents have cesspools, or illegal septic tanks, and it is those cesspools that funnel discharge to local streams and into the ocean. She said the AS-EPA recently completed a pilot project for surveying cesspools in the Fagaima/Malaeimi areas.

 

Lelei Peau of the Dept. of Commerce said they continue to look for long-term solutions, although such a thing requires a lot of resources and they are calling on locals— both government and the community—to respond positively.

 

As for the National Park Service, the agency recently hired three interns to work for six months to help out with the project.

 

When asked where the highest concentration of Alamea is found, Matagi-Tofiga replied that the areas with the highest nutrient content are where the outbreaks occur. In the south side, it is the Airport and Maliu Mai areas and to the north, it is Fagasa, which has been called a ‘hot spot’.

 

It was revealed during the briefing that during the 2009 tsunami, a lot of nutrients were swept into the ocean, which caused the larvae to survive and settle on the reefs.

 

Interestingly, COTS are not seen until they are about three years old, and according to a representative from the National Park Service, they can only theorize that the outbreaks can be attributed to a source of pollution.

 

Matagi-Tofiga challenged the high school students who were present to see the contributions being made by the local government and their federal partners and ask themselves, “What is my contribution?”

 

She encouraged the youngsters to spread the message to their schools, youth groups, and anyone that would listen and ask them to “help us” in the efforts to save our reefs.

 

Currently, funds to carry out the project are available from the Dept. of Interior and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) although those involved are looking for “more sustainable funding options”.

 

Members of the dive team departed the territory this past Monday night.

 

In addition to the local government and its federal partners, assistance for the project came from the American Samoa Community College (ASCC), the US Coast Guard, LBJ Tropical Medical Center, Bluesky Communications, and local volunteers.

 

COTS are very large and have 20 legs with spines, which can be used to sting humans and cause pain. Without proper handling, a person can get hurt if they try to yank the Alamea directly from the coral. This is why anyone who sees an Alamea is encouraged to contact the DMWR at 633-4456 or the NMSAS at 633-6500.