Penghu's marine ecological environment is facing a serious threat with the huge population of crown-of-thorns starfish recently found in Penghu's HsiJi island.

Scholars are stressing their concerns, saying that if these poisonous starfish are not removed, the coral reef system may be destroyed.

The meter-long crown-of-thorns starfish is venomous, and has gained notoriety as a threat to the coral reef ecosystem.

This nocturnal sea star feeds on coral polyps causing the whitening of the corals called coral bleaching.

The latest finding from the Coral Reefs Association shows an excessive number of these starfish in the seawater off Penghu's HsiJi island, surpassing the appropriate standard for a balanced ecosystem.

According to international standard, in every 10,000 cubic meters of area, 30 of these starfish are considered an outbreak already, however, in this shocking case, 500 of them have been found within the proximity.

Some experts say that Penghu's cold weather in 2008 led to the deaths of many sea creatures including large conchs which prey on these starfish. In addition to conchs being overly fished, the decrease of natural predators also resulted in the growing number of these spiky starfish.

It is now crucial for government agencies to step in to solve the situation that could be potentially disastrous to the marine environment.

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