The effectiveness of direct management intervention, such as manual culling or removal, for marine invasive species or pests is partly constrained by individual detectability. This study explores detectability of Pacific crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster cf. solaris) based on the proportion of individual starfish sighted in discrete areas where there was apparent recent feeding activity. Most importantly, we use our metric of detectability to assess the influence of habitat characteristics (e.g., coral cover and habitat complexity), as well as time of day and depth, on the capacity to find and ultimately kill or remove individual starfish. Not unexpectedly, habitat structure has a major influence on detectability, but there are a number of other factors that appear to influence the probability of detection within any given study site or management location. Understanding constraints on detectability of such species is not only critical for optimizing direct management actions, but also affects the capacity to effectively measure, model and manage population dynamics.