"A Voracious Starfish Is Destroying the Great Barrier Reef"

"BYRON BAY, Australia — The Great Barrier Reef is literally being eaten alive.

Deadly starfish are feasting on parts of the world’s largest reef system, which is already threatened by rising ocean temperatures, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said on Friday.

Crown-of-thorns starfish, a native species whose numbers occasionally grow so out of control they endanger the reef, have been detected on 37 sections of the southerly Swain Reef, more than 60 miles offshore, according to the park authority."

Isabella Kwai reports for the New York Times January 5, 2018.