HL Deb 12 February 1970 vol 307 cc1046-61

4.50 p.m.

LORD BEAUMONT OF WHITLEY rose to ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they plan to give the international effort to combat the erosion of coral in the South Pacific by the crown of thorns starfish and the consequent destruction of the fisheries. The noble Lord said: My Lords, your Lordships may remember that some little time ago I put down a Starred Question on this particular subject. It seemed to me, if I may say so with great respect, that the problem, which is of considerable importance, was dealt with a trifle lightly by the noble Lord, Lord Shepherd. However, I soon saw that I had misjudged him. No sooner had I determined to pursue this further, by putting it down in the form of an Unstarred Question, than the noble Lord proceeded to the South Pacific—no doubt to provide the answers to my Question. I am extremely grateful to him for the amount of trouble he has taken, and I hope he is grateful to me for giving him the opportunity to solve the little constitutional difficulty in Fiji and to deal with one or two other minor matters on the way. But since he has gone to all this trouble, I do not intend to detain your Lordships very long.

It is, I think, a very simple situation, although a very frightening one, that has arisen in the South Pacific. The crown of thorns starfish (or acanthesta piancki, to give it its proper name) which until a few years ago was very much a rarity, suddenly, in different parts of the South Pacific Ocean, started multiplying at a tremendous rate—something in the neighbourhood of several thousand times its previous rate of expansion; a real population explosion. One of the features about this particular starfish is that it destroys the coral on reefs; it destroys it at a tremendous rate, eating very fast and leaving behind just coral skeletons which are very quickly disintegrated by wind and water. In the course of the last few years, I am told, a quarter of the Great Barrier Reef of Northern Australia has been eaten away; and in various other parts of the South Pacific coral is disintegrating at an enormous rate.

The result of this destruction of coral is, first of all, that there is an immense increase in the amount of erosion on those coasts, and particularly on those small islands which have in the past been protected by the coral from the erosion of wind and water. But I think much more important, or certainly as important, is that with the coral go the shallow water fisheries on which so many of the natives of Oceana depend for their whole protein intake, as well as for their livelihood. The Fiji and the Solomon Islands, we are told, are already threatened by this. I look forward to hearing the latest news from the noble Lord, Lord Shepherd. There are possible future threats (to name just the territories in which Great Britain has interests) to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, to Pitcairn Island and to the New Hebrides. That is the general situation as it is at the moment.

Why all this is happening, how this great population explosion with the crown of thorns starfish has occurred, appears still to be completely baffling. With a great many scientists working on it, a great many theories have been put forward; but none of these appears to be totally convincing to the scientists concerned, or even, I may say, to the laymen reading about them. The most popular theory, which some of your Lordships will have heard or read about, is that this population explosion is caused by the disappearance, largely through shell collectors, of the great triton, which feeds on the crown of thorns starfish. This does not appear to be a very convincing explanation. It is true that if you put down a very large number of great tritons you might be able to bring down the population a little. But the great triton, I am told, is a lazy eater; it does not eat nearly fast enough to cope with the problem; it tends to give up halfway through a starfish, and the starfish has the capacity to grow again even when eaten through. So this does not seem a very helpful theory.

The fact remains that this represents a real threat to the livelihood of a great number of people. No one seems to know the answer, in spite of the fact that a great many scientists are working on the research, and it is quite obvious that we must all have an interest in seeing that enough money and resources are put into research to stop this complete upsetting of the balance of Nature in this part of the world. There should be an internationally co-ordinated effort to try to find the causes, and the cures. So far as I can discover—again I stand open to correction by the noble Lord—there is not very much international effort at the moment. To a certain extent the terms of my Question may be a little misleading, when I ask Her Majesty's Government: what assistance they plan to give the international effort to combat the erosion of coral in the South Pacific …

I believe that there is a very great need for international effort. And since we have great interests in that part of the world (not perhaps great by our global standards, but, at any rate, interests and responsibilities; we have dependencies out there); and since we have in this country a great deal of scientific know-how, surely this is exactly the kind of international effort, rather than, say, military effort East of Suez, that we as a country should be encouraging. I feel that Her Majesty's Government should be taking some initiative towards helping an international effort, first of all for the discovery of the reasons for this plague; secondly, to try to find out the cure for it, and, thirdly, possibly, to do something to alleviate the effects for the islanders—for instance, financing capital investment in deep-sea fisheries, as opposed to shallow-sea fisheries. My Lords, I beg to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

4.55 p.m.

THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGH

My Lords, I am sure we should be grateful to the noble Lord for having put this Question down on the Order Paper. He is certainly a star fish himself, swimming in the bowl of your Lordships' House this afternoon, although he is not actually wearing a crown of thorns; and I can assure him that we on these Benches are not going to crucify him this afternoon.

Some noble Lords may think this a somewhat esoteric matter. I must admit that until I made inquiries recently I was not aware of the dangers inherent in the increase in the population of the crown of thorns starfish in the Pacific. I do not know whether it may have been my hereditary Whig blood which inclined me to support the noble Lord on the Liberal Benches on this matter, but I think it is an appropriate subject to debate in your Lordships' House, a subject which another place might not find the time to discuss. But although I consider that we should express our concern about the problem and discover what research is in hand, I do not think we need to send the Army to Fiji, which in any case is in the process of attaining Dominion status, and I do not think that we should literally go overboard for these fish. We should not exaggerate the problem. In my view, however, the noble Lord was quite right to draw attention to it. Although I am afraid we on this side of the House are only too liable to blame the Government for many things which happen or do not happen in the world, I do not think this is a case in which I can criticise the noble Lord, Lord Shepherd, or the Government for having been complacent.

LORD WYNNE-JONES

My Lords, would the noble Earl not agree that the starfish are quite right to attack the red coral?

THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGH

That is a very interesting observation, my Lords. No doubt the noble Lord, Lord Shepherd, will be able to tell us whether he agrees with it or not. But certainly, generally speaking, I think the noble Lord and I usually see eye to eye on all questions of overseas aid.

I do not know what the noble Lord is going to say in his reply, but I should like to ask him a few questions. Am I right in thinking that, in so far as our interests are concerned, it is mainly Fiji which is relatively badly affected? Do we know what Australia is doing about this problem? Is she playing her full part already, either in an existing international effort or in a potential international effort? I have heard this afternoon that a new marine institute is to be established at Townsville. I wonder whether we should not devote our efforts to supporting that new institute, the formation of which was, I understand, recently announced by Mr. Gorton, the Australian Prime Minister. I imagine, too, that the Americans must also be involved. It would be interesting to hear from the noble Lord to what extent they are so involved; and whether they too may be helping the Australians, or whether this is separate effort.

Then there is the South Pacific Commission. I do not know whether the noble Lord can tell me whether they are in a position to take action themselves. Also, can he say exactly what the role of the United Nations is in this matter? I think they have taken an interest in the subject. Or does action depend on individual Governments? It seems to me that it may be necessary either to control human activity in the area by limiting blasting, drilling and dredging, or to try to protect the giant triton which the noble Lord has already mentioned and which is the starfish's greatest enemy. Perhaps we should do both. But, above all, has anyone devised a method of killing these insatiable starfish that do not even finish their meal? Has anyone devised a method of killing them 'without in fact damaging the coral? Incidentally, has any overall value been placed on the damage so far done?

I am sorry to ask the noble Lord so many questions, but he is probably in a position to answer most of them. We are bound to give technical assistance to our dependent territories when the need arises, but let us first decide exactly what we can do. In our debate on water pollution last week I stressed, as the noble Lord, Lord Beaumont, has done, the dangers of man upsetting the balance of Nature. I do not know whether the noble Lord, Lord Shepherd, considers that in this case man has upset the balance. At all events I hope that the Government will watch the situation most carefully and perhaps give consideration to my suggestion that we should help the Australians to set up their new institute.

5.4 p.m.

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, last week the Church Assembly had a debate on man and his environment. We heard many speeches from the prophets of doom who said exactly what was going to happen if man went on upsetting the balance of Nature. I wonder whether this starfish explosion is caused through man upsetting the balance of Nature, or whether it is because Nature itself is performing the task. I hope that the noble Lord, Lord Shepherd, may be able to answer such a question. I personally have always read that it is the Barrier Reef which is mainly at risk at the moment. But if this erosion goes on, the prospects are much more serious than the noble Lord makes out. The coral islands form a chain connecting the Old World with the New. For defence purposes, we have airfields on coral islands in the Indian Ocean. We have anchorages in the Indian Ocean. We have coral islands in the Pacific, and anchorages at atolls, and so on. If this plague is to persist and all this coral is eaten away, those airfields and anchorages will disappear. They are only just above the sea, anyway.

Goodness knows what sort of remedy the scientists may suggest. I always believe-in private enterprise, and I consider that the most efficacious thing would be to persuade the Chinese race that this starfish is a delicacy. I think it would then disappear very quickly. But, failing that, I personally would employ the Young Liberals. Instead of stopping me from watching the finest cricket eleven in the world, they would be much better employed in the Pacific.

5.5 p.m.

VISCOUNT ST. DAVIDS

My Lords, this is a much more serious matter, humorous though it may seem, because a quite astonishing number of the smaller territories in our Colonies and Commonwealth of Nations are built on coral and once the live coral goes the dead coral is comparatively soft and washes away with remarkable ease. There seem to be two possible remedies for this difficulty. The first, I am sure, is being chased with the utmost despatch. When you find something eating something else over-vigorously you want to find another creature which will eat the eater. No doubt that is what the biology boys are doing.

However, there is a further predator who must be taken into account in this world, and it is the greatest predator of all—man. Man is capable of consuming almost anything, given the chance and the wish; and the idea of setting the Chinese to do it is a remarkably good one. I would not mind betting that there is something valuable about the crown of thorns starfish. I do not know what it is; but if our industrialists and research boys are set to find out what it is, there may well be an answer. If. there is something valuable in this crown of thorns starfish, the best way of getting rid of it is to set man to chase it, because I am sure he will do the job very efficiently.

LORD KILBRACKEN

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Hawke, referred to the desirability of getting private enterprise to work. I can offer a most useful function for the crown of thorns starfish. Off the coast of Florida there are millions of dollars' worth of 17th century gold and silver artifacts which have become buried in coral because a fleet of Spanish galleons was sunk there. An American company is spending tens of thousands of pounds in trying to remove the coral in order to raise the gold and diamonds. This they are in fact doing. I am sure that if they knew that they could accomplish their task by going to the Pacific and bringing large numbers of starfish over to Florida, they would hasten to do so.

5.8 p.m.

THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)

My Lords, I greatly appreciate Lord Beaumont of Whitley's interest in this matter, in respect of which this is the third time he has put down a Question. If I appeared to be frivolous and lighthearted on the occasion of the original Questions it was not because the subject was not important, but really to disguise the fact that I was completely ignorant of the problem to which the noble Lord was directing my attention. While in Fiji I had an opportunity to discuss the problem with the Director of Fisheries, and I will endeavour, as briefly as possible, to acquaint your Lordships with some of the facts which I found on my visit, and also such information as we have been able to obtain from other sources.

I think we should bear in mind the three important factors which surround this problem: first, the starfish itself, It is usually known as the "crown of thorns". It is a prickly creature which grows up to about two feet in diameter, and it lives on the coral reef at shallow depths. In normal circumstances a fairly rare member of the coral reef fauna, one would expect a careful search to reveal no more than about two or three per thousand square metres of reef. But, as the noble Lord, Lord Beaumont of Whitley, has said, present circumstances are not normal.

Second is the coral reef itself. The starfish lives from eating the polyps or living organisms in the reef, leaving a dead structure which can later be broken down by natural conditions. The benefits of coral reefs are many. Probably most important is the protection the reefs give to the coast, particularly the coasts of atolls or other small islands. Without the protection of reefs, the very existence of these islands can be in danger when large storms appear. Erosion of this sort is very slow, however, and fears for the safety of island populations must surely be unfounded. Indeed there are many islands composed of nothing but dead coral, and I think it is true to say that there is much more dead coral in the world than living.

Another most important factor is that the death of living coral means a decrease in fisheries production—at least tem- porarily, and this is important—for nearby societies who depend heavily upon marine sources of protein. But the dead coral quickly becomes covered by an algal growth which is the basis of a different community which might be even more productive than the coral reef itself. This is not, my Lords, an optimistic conjecture; the scientific team which surveyed Ant Island—an island which I shall mention later—where the infestation of starfish was particularly heavy, and where the coral reef was almost entirely dead, reported that fish were abundant.

From this point of view, therefore, the picture is not as black as some have depicted it. Living coral reefs, however, are also an economic asset for the tourist trade, which perhaps offers more for the future economic development of the Pacific islands than any other single prospect. Coral reefs and clear water can attract substantial revenue. This, I think, is possibly the most serious effect of the infestation. The scarce evidence suggests, unfortunately, that it will take a long time for the coral to grow again. Recovery after a major tropical storm can take 20 to 25 years and a figure of 100 to 200 years has been suggested as necessary to eradicate the depredation of this starfish.

The third factor I should mention is the giant triton—both noble Lords have referred to it—which is the only confirmed natural predator of the starfish. The causes of the sinister population explosion of this creature are not at all clear. Many possibilities have been put forward, but all are still a matter of conjecture. One possibility is that changes in the environment have improved the survival of the starfish. Another possibility is that biological changes have taken place and that these changes have made the starfish less attractive to its traditional enemies. We have much to learn about ecological changes of this kind. Others maintain—and I think the noble Lord, Lord Beaumont, himself suggested—that collectors and tourists who prize the shells of the giant triton are to blame, since this is the only confirmed predator of the starfish.

Many of the islands of the South Pacific have their own population explosion of shell collectors who use modern diving equipment and avidly collect the triton shells—I gather that even badly eroded specimens are collected. The incentive to hunt the triton is strong: a single triton can bring its finder a greater profit that any other natural product of the reef. They are therefore heavily fished, and have been for some time. But, in general, islanders consider it a rare animal and capture only a few each year. This may be partly because of its nocturnal habits but, because of its relative rarity, investigators are not convinced that the possible depreciation of giant triton stocks is the only cause of the outbreak. The main support for this theory is the situation on the Great Barrier Reef where infestation outbreaks seem to be positively correlated with tourist sites, but in other places where the demand for tritons is high the starfish populations seem to be quite normal. None the less, this theory is credible. Lowering of triton stocks in particular areas frequented by divers might be sufficient to raise population levels of the starfish beyond a critical level. Such a disturbance could have happened in the heavily infested areas.

Another credible theory which has been put forward is that man's increased activity in the area since World War II has somewhere upset the balance of nature. A change of environment resulting from submarine blasting operations or dredging activities may have enabled unusually large numbers of starfish larvae to settle on clean, newly exposed surfaces. The coral itself is an enemy of the starfish larvae, but coral newly killed forms a good settling ground for starfish larvae so that once an infestation gets well under way it can build up.

I would not dispute these possibilities, but arguments against them contend that destruction of sections of coral reefs by man has been common since before the war, and that numerous explosions occurred on reefs during the war without resultant population increase—unless, of course, some of the outbreaks date back to the war. This has also been considered by some researchers. Also, storm damage produces such fresh coral surfaces, and storms have been with us since the days of Noah. While it is true that any major damage might favour the settlement of a large population of the starfish, the surfaces would probably remain suitable for settlement only for a few days at the most.

Catastrophic events like World War II bombings or storms would be much less likely to provide a suitable surface than regular but methodical efforts to obtain fish or open a passage or harbour using explosives. However, since World War II, blasting and dredging have increased steadily, and some of these activities might have induced the rise of seed populations which in normal circum-stances would have later died out. Some might have initiated large scale infestations, as have been reported in several places.

Perhaps the gradual increase of specimens has only now reached a critical point where the larval population is increasing. What is clear is that this is not a sudden population explosion, and precipitate action is unwarranted. The sporadic nature of the population explosion suggests no single ocean-wide physical factor, nor has it been possible to define any single cause which would explain all the confirmed infestations. It seems probable that a combination of factors is involved. What this combination is and what the factors are can only be guessed at for the present. But since almost all outbreaks have begun near human population, it seems a reasonable assumption to believe that the infestations, in one way or another, correlate to human activities. Of the preceding theories that I have mentioned—and there are several others that have been suggested and discredited—the decrease in triton numbers and the blasting effects seem to offer the greatest credibility. Both explanations still face certain objections, however, which would have to be settled before either could be accepted as conclusive.

An interesting fact which emerges from a recent American report on the matter concerns an island bearing the unlikely name of Ant. Ant is a privately-owned atoll and its owner is a strict conservationist. He does not allow fishing within the lagoon. Tritons have not been collected and explosives are not used. The period of conservation has been in effect for several years and may have been established prior to the war. When the United States team visited the island, fish were abundant and unafraid of divers. Yet this atoll, with its strictly controlled conditions, has been infested for some time (probably three or four years) and much of the coral has been killed. With the exception of a single patch of reef on the southern portion of the atoll, the areas examined by the American team contained primarily dead coral.

Exactly what bearing this situation may have on the solution to this problem is difficult to see, but it seems to indicate that tourists, shell collectors and the lack of giant triton are not the only factors to be taken into consideration. Methods of combating the menace are at present very limited. The only effective method being used is for divers systematically to inject with formalin individual starfish. Although I gather divers can destroy up to 600 or 700 starfish a day using formalin guns, and six divers can clear up to about one mile a day, the vastness of the area to be covered makes this a very long job.

In response to the noble Earl, Lord Bessborough, I should like to mention a momentous discovery made by two local boys who were on a picnic in Fiji. During swimming they discovered three of these starfish and hauled them out on to the beach for closer examination. Boys will be boys, and when their initial interest waned the two youngsters showed their contempt for the creatures by urinating on one of them. What really surprised them, however, was that an hour or so later, when they wandered over to have a final look at the creatures, the "christened" one had expired, while the two others were still full of life. How this discovery can be put to use will entail long and careful consideration. We shall also, of course, have the problem of finding the boys.

I should like to mention the consider-able effort that the Australians have put into scientific research on this matter. Professor Endean of the University of Queensland has made a two-year study of the distribution of starfish on the Great Barrier Reef and certain aspects of its biology. His researches, which have not yet been published, have provided a good deal of information and identified both the urgency and the seriousness of the infestation on the Great Barrier Reef. He found that massive destruction of living coral has occurred on most of the Great Barrier Reef along a 200 kilometre section bounded by Cooktown and Townsville and that on infested reefs over 90 per cent. of the coral has been killed, and coral destruction is expanding at an alarming rate. In several places it was found that the infestation had apparently begun between the years 1959 and 1965. Professor Endean recommended a programme of containment by killing starfish by hand, the establishment of a research programme to study both starfish and tritons, the importing of live triton and the banning of the collection of triton shells.

May I mention that the Americans are carrying out a large research programme. They have given more than 200,000 dollars for research and the Westinghouse Electric Corporation have made a detailed report to the Department of the Interior. The Americans are now digesting the latter before deciding what next should be done. I think it is fair to say that almost all the work done to date is of a survey nature.

As for the other areas that have been attacked by the starfish, information is sometimes confusing, nearly always sparse and, except where special teams have made detailed surveys (for instance, around the United States Territory of Guam) evidence depends mainly on reports from the local population. We have had some reports of infestation in Borneo, on the islands off the East Coast of Malaysia, off the South-West Coast of Thailand and even in the Red Sea. The only British territory in which there is a significant problem is Fiji, but even here the extent of the damage and the size of the starfish population is not known. I have some other details about some of our other responsibilities in this area. Pitcairn and Tonga do not at the moment seem to be infested; the New Hebrides has a problem, and there are also unconfirmed reports of an increase in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate.

This information, of course, is often extremely circumstantial. In some areas where investigations have taken place the reports from the local inhabitants were knowledgeable; but in other places, particularly where the animal was well known, reports on its increase or decrease were not reliable. We are now in regular contact with our dependent territories about this problem. Of these, only Fiji has reported any large increase in numbers and resultant damage to coral reefs.

A preliminary survey on Fiji designed to evaluate the degree of infestation indicates that, although large numbers are present and considerable destruction of the coral has taken place, its population has not reached plague proportions. Certain areas appear to be more heavily infested than others, however. A further survey now under way is expected to be completed soon. The information collected from this second survey, together with that collected from the first, will give a fuller picture of the extent and degree of the problem and the destruction caused so far. I should like to stress again that, in my view, precipitate action is unwarranted, particularly in our dependent territories. I should also like to mention that my right honourable friend the Minister of Overseas Development said in another place on December 18, that such technical assistance as may be needed will be provided to individual territories whenever the need arises. Our posts are aware of this.

May I add that the South Pacific Commission Conference held from October 8 to 18 last year passed a resolution drawing attention to this problem. We are in touch with the South Pacific Commission and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme. The latter are studying the Australian and American reports and, assuming such action is warranted, will consider dealing with the question as a United Nations Development Programme regional project.

Finally, I should like to assure the noble Lord, Lord Beaumont of Whitley, that Her Majesty's Government do not subscribe to the view that this problem is a natural phenomenon and that Nature should be allowed to take its course. Few proponents of this argument, I believe, would agree that other similar menaces, such as locusts, should be left to their own devices. We are keeping a close watch on the situation in all our territories and are regularly receiving reports from them. Apart from the damage to coral around Fiji, there have been no reports of damage to other British territories.

Certain precautionary measures have now been taken. For example, in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, all the district commissioners have been asked to keep a special look-out in regard to this matter. We are also doing a good deal of work in the field of publicity, not only with the district commissioners but also with the heads of touring departments, those involved in fishing and in the mercantile marine. We have even sent guidance papers to schoolchildren in certain areas, asking them to keep us informed and to pass on specimens to the local authority. In addition to this, the Solomon Islands Diving Club has agreed not only to keep its collective eye open but also to undertake research.

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, before the noble Lord leaves the remedies, may I ask him whether he will send some specimens to Canton, or to one of these places? Because once the Chinese can be persuaded to adopt this as a strengthening medicine or as a food, the thing will probably vanish.

LORD SHEPHERD

I had hoped to have a starfish in your Lordships' House. But, frankly, the thing stank to high heaven, and I had to destroy it. I cannot myself believe that we could persuade the Chinese to eat this particular animal, but perhaps we might bear the noble Lord's suggestion in mind if we can find a way of canning this particular starfish.

My Lords, I have spoken at rather longer length than I had intended, but I thought I would do so in the hope of satisfying the noble Lord, Lord Beaumont, so that he will not in future feel it necessary to raise this particular subject as a Starred Question.

THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGH

My Lords, before the noble Lord sits down, I wonder if he could tell me whether the Government are giving consideration to the suggestion which I made: that we should help the Australians to establish the institute which Mr. Gorton announced very recently.

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I will certainly look at that point, but I indicated in the latter part of my speech that we are going to study the Australian and American reports, and, assuming that such action is warranted, we will consider dealing with the question as a United Nations Development Programme regional project. I think this would perhaps meet the noble Earl's point.

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, will the noble Lord consider trying to distil out of this very prolific animal something which could be regarded as a strengthening medicine in the East? Because it seems to have every mark of the necessary properties.

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, the noble Lord is so persistent that I intend to find a way to bring a starfish home, and I shall deliver it to his house at Christmas.