Overview:
Australia has supported Palau’s response to a crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak, helping local and international specialists cull more than 2,200 starfish while training Palauan partners to monitor and manage future outbreaks.
KOROR, Palau — Sept. 23, 2026 — Australia has supported an urgent response to a crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak in Palau, helping local partners cull more than 2,200 starfish and strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to future outbreaks.
The response followed a request from Palau for specialist assistance as crown-of-thorns starfish populations increased in several reef areas, including Ngederrak Reef.
Crown-of-thorns starfish occur naturally on coral reefs, but outbreaks can result in significant coral loss when populations grow to unsustainable levels.
With funding from the Australian government and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, specialists from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority spent two weeks in Palau providing hands-on training in monitoring and controlling crown-of-thorns starfish populations.
The Australian specialists worked with staff from the Palau International Coral Reef Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment, Koror State Rangers, Airai State Rangers, tourism operators and other local stakeholders.
During the mission, the team surveyed reef areas affected by the outbreak and used specialized injection techniques to cull the starfish. The techniques are based on decades of Australian research and are used as part of crown-of-thorns starfish control efforts on the Great Barrier Reef.
The mission also focused on building Palau’s long-term capacity to monitor and respond to outbreaks. Local partners received practical training, equipment and knowledge to support future control efforts.
Research has shown that reducing crown-of-thorns starfish populations can benefit reefs beyond the immediate area where the starfish are removed because the animals can spread to nearby reefs.
Australian Ambassador to Palau Toby Sharpe thanked the organizations and individuals involved in the response.
“This mission reflects the strong partnership between Australia and Palau, utilising both Australian and Palauan expertise,” Sharpe said. “We are proud that Palau is now better equipped to deal with the ongoing challenge of crown-of-thorns starfish.”
Sharpe said healthy reefs are important to Palau’s environment and economy because communities rely on reefs for food and the tourism industry depends heavily on Palau’s marine resources.
The mission was led by Dr. David Williamson, who works with Australia’s Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Control Program on the Great Barrier Reef and serves as a member of the PICRC board.
The response combines immediate culling with training and capacity building aimed at helping Palau better detect and manage future crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.