Origins and Implications of a Primary Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Outbreak in the Southern Great Barrier Reef

Table 1

Survey year and number of reefs surveyed including the number of reefs recorded with outbreaks in that year (figures given in brackets and include both Incipient and Active Outbreaks combined) in the Swain and Capricorn-Bunker Group. Mean COTS per two-minute tow and standard error (SE) are given for each survey year. A different suite of reefs is sampled in each survey year depending on sample design, weather, and logistical considerations. Survey years run from 1 July of the preceding calendar year to 30 June, so, for instance, the 2012 survey year represents reefs surveyed between July 2011 and June 2012.

Year	Swain Reefs			Capricorn-Bunker Reefs
	Number of reefs surveyed (number of outbreaking reefs)	Mean COTS	SE COTS	Number of reefs surveyed (number of outbreaking reefs)	Mean COTS	SE COTS
1986	32 ()	0.134	0.062	8 (0)	0.012	0.012
1987	30 ()	0.33	0.126	5 (0)	0	0
1988	28 ()	0.227	0.124	6 (0)	0.002	0.002
1989	No survey
1990	20 ()	0.272	0.207	6 (0)	0	0
1991	21 ()	0.222	0.158	5 (0)	0.005	0.005
1992	24 ()	0.340	0.218	6 (0)	0	0
1993	9 ()	0.781	0.671	4 (0)	0	0
1994	11 ()	0.120	0.090	3 (0)	0	0
1995	15 ()	0.142	0.079	3 (0)	0.006	0.006
1996	16 ()	0.107	0.042	5 (0)	0.010	0.006
1997	8 ()	0.872	0.445	5 (0)	0.012	0.012
1998	9 ()	1.230	0.646	4 (0)	0	0
1999	7 ()	0.431	0.225	4 (0)	0	0
2000	8 ()	2.094	0.797	4 (0)	0	0
2001	8 ()	18.775	7.371	4 (0)	0.005	0.005
2002	7 ()	4.879	2.798	4 (0)	0	0
2003	7 ()	4.077	2.227	4 (0)	0	0
2004	7 ()	0.649	0.414	4 (0)	0.005	0.005
2005	13 ()	0.050	0.033	4 (0)	0	0
2006	19 ()	0.030	0.016	8 (0)	0	0
2007	6 ()	0.005	0.004	4 (0)	0	0
2008	17 ()	0	0	7 (0)	0	0
2009	7 ()	0.011	0.011	4 (0)	0	0
2010	15 ()	0.003	0.003	8 (0)	0.018	0.013
2011	7 ()	0.002	0.002	3 (0)	0	0
2012	15 ()	0.003	0.002	6 (1)	0.162	0.162
2013	7 ()	0.023	0.018	4 (1)	0.066	0.066
2014	14 ()	0.005	0.003	8 (2)	0.201	0.146