Cyprus-Forum.com

[GreekIslandGirl]

I've recently been noticing a serious depletion in the number of sea-urchins around Cyprus' bays!

In particular, the rocks around Baths of Aphrodite and Pomos Bay used to be notorious for the little spiny critters. Going back over the years, every rock was infested; then slowly noticed that there were fewer and fewer. Now - they are virtually ALL gone.

Where are Cyprus' sea-urchins?

[kurupetos]

Ethnic cleansing?

[Oceanside50]

Times are tough, I mean even Bill Cobbett is snipping coupons for the water park , some one picked up the urchins and ate them, I hear they're tasty...and Greek Island girl was ready to blame global warming

[repulsewarrior]

...ocean acidification is no joke; although i have no explanation for this incident, i find it sad/alarming too.

[GreekIslandGirl]

Global warming and ocean acidification? Have other species been affected so drastically? Certainly the fish stocks seem similar over the decades that I've been conscious of sea-life whilst snorkeling. Are sea-urchins so sensitive, they could be the indicators?

There should be tons of information available on these topics but they are so mired by the petroleum-lobbyists it's impossible to get a good idea of the changes (natural and man-made) happening in the seas.

A long time ago now, I was getting concerned abut the a amount of sunscreens/tanning lotions people use whilst in and out of the water. It's these sorts of chemicals changes that can have the most rapid effect I suspect.

But Oceanside - you've sown a seed; the possibility of dietary changes in the island's human population ...

(... ethnic cleansing as Kurupet muses.)

[Get Real!]

What's happened to all the Cyprus sea-urchins?

Greek junkies have fed on them to extinction.

One breza one urchin, one breza one urchin… caput the urchins!

Ellalen tzio makaritis… exi appari dron da riallia!

[Oceanside50]

[quoteEllalen tzio makaritis… exi appari dron da riallia! ][/quote]

Translation please.

[GreekIslandGirl]

You can't blame Greeks. Plenty of sea-urchins in the rocks off Stoupa Bay etc. Never seen them on Greek menus.

Why should they only now be eaten to extinction? What has changed?

The ethnic cuisines they figure in the most are Asian and Italian. Hmm. There are a few extra Chinese around (wish I could get one of those pointy hats they all wear here ), not many.

Nope, I still think it's the poisons people rub all over their skins whilst sunbathing!

[GreekIslandGirl]

OK - I'm going to collate some relevant material and then contact the Fisheries Department if action is needed.

Firstly:

Sunscreens cause coral bleaching by promoting viral infections.

Department of Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, Polytechnic University of the Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
BACKGROUND:
Coral bleaching (i.e., the release of coral symbiotic zooxanthellae) has negative impacts on biodiversity and functioning of reef ecosystems and their production of goods and services. This increasing world-wide phenomenon is associated with temperature anomalies, high irradiance, pollution, and bacterial diseases. Recently, it has been demonstrated that personal care products, including sunscreens, have an impact on aquatic organisms similar to that of other contaminants.
OBJECTIVES:
Our goal was to evaluate the potential impact of sunscreen ingredients on hard corals and their symbiotic algae.
METHODS:
In situ and laboratory experiments were conducted in several tropical regions (the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and the Red Sea) by supplementing coral branches with aliquots of sunscreens and common ultraviolet filters contained in sunscreen formula. Zooxanthellae were checked for viral infection by epifluorescence and transmission electron microscopy analyses.
RESULTS:
Sunscreens cause the rapid and complete bleaching of hard corals, even at extremely low concentrations. The effect of sunscreens is due to organic ultraviolet filters, which are able to induce the lytic viral cycle in symbiotic zooxanthellae with latent infections.
CONCLUSIONS:
We conclude that sunscreens, by promoting viral infection, potentially play an important role in coral bleaching in areas prone to high levels of recreational use by humans.

ncbi

Right - that's on coral. I suppose it includes Kelp as well That's the sea-urchins main diet. There's certainly plenty of kelp.

Does Kelp store-up sunscreen?

[GreekIslandGirl]

Someone's done a Masters on this topic.

The Effects of UVR and Sunscreen Compounds on Sea Urchin Larval Respiration Along a Latitudinal Gradient: A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Master of Science Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Can anyone access this?