Long-Spined Sea Urchins are in Trouble

Long-spined sea urchins are dying off and getting closer to Bonaire’s reef.

Since February 2022, there have been reports of Long-spined sea urchin (Diadema) dying off from several islands in the Caribbean, including St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, Saba, and Curaçao.  Marine Protected Area authorities within the Dutch Caribbean region are concerned these events could be echoing the massive die-off of sea urchins that occurred in the 1980s, which almost completely wiped out the Caribbean long-spined sea urchin populations. Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) has recently drawn attention to the current state of the die-off, what is being done to restore these populations and what you can do to help.

Importance for our coral reefs.

Long-spined sea urchins play a critical role in maintaining healthy coral reefs, which are essential for coastal protection and a crucial source of income for people in the Dutch Caribbean as they are a magnet for tourism. Long-spined sea urchins help sustain the delicate balance within the reef by grazing on algae, an overabundance that can damage coral.  

Caribbean-wide disease.

In the mid-1980s, a disease swept through the Caribbean, wiping out nearly the entire sea urchin population. In mid-February 2022, reports started emerging about new extensive die-off events in the Caribbean region. Reports from within the Dutch Caribbean first came in on March 14th from the island of St. Eustatius.  Follow-on reports from the remaining Dutch leeward islands of Saba, and St. Maarten soon followed. In Curaçao, the first sightings of diseased sea urchins were reported in early June. Two weeks later, more than 90% of the surveyed population had disappeared.