The occurrence of Echinoida, an order of sea urchins, in large number in the Bay of Bengal has brought cheer among the marine biologists to explore and document its presence in the blue waters. Of late, the catch is offering scope for serious research on the increase of the urchins’ population. The fisher folk of Nagayalanka who venture into the sea from the confluence point of river Krishna have been witnessing the catch and are befuddled over what to do with it. Since the urchins take refuge during the day and feed on algae during the night, they are being trapped in the nets only during the night time. Seeing the urchin is a new experience. We have no idea what to do with the catch of the urchins, except segregate it from the rest of the fish catch and leave it on the beach, said the fishermen of Nagayalanka. Usually, the urchins are mostly present only in the shallow rocky areas and surrounding the coral reefs, the most ancient ecosystem of the marine world. The nearest natural coral reef exists at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. First, sighting of the sea urchins in large number is news to celebrate. It’s authentic evidence to claim that the population of the urchins is on the rise. Urchins have absolute medicinal values, Annamalai University’s Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology, Chennai Associate Professor P. Ananda Raman told The Hindu . Since early 2010, the sea urchins have been found along the coastline of Andhra Pradesh, particularly in the Visakhapatnam coast, which mostly comprises shallow rocky areas, a safe place for survival.
2016, The Hindu