16 U.S.C. § 1212

In carrying out the purposes of this chapter, the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution are authorized to— (1) conduct such studies, research, and investigations, as they deem desirable to determine the causes of the population increase of the “Crown of Thorns”, their effects on corals and coral reefs, and the stability and regeneration of reefs following predation; (2) to monitor areas where the “Crown of Thorns” may be increasing in numbers and to determine future needs for control; (3) to develop improved methods of control and to carry out programs of control in areas where these are deemed necessary; and (4) to take such other actions as deemed desirable to gain an understanding of the ecology and control of the seastar “Crown of Thorns”.