BOLINAO, PANGASINAN – Corals are just starting to flourish here and in western Pangasinan towns, but spiny and toxic starfish that have invaded the marine protected areas are threatening to stop their growth.

The crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) are a plague of corals as they voraciously eat the polyps by spreading their stomach over the corals and using digestive enzymes to liquefy the tissues.

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