Gazi Anowarul Hoque :
The presence of Sea Urchin along the St Martin coast of the Bay of Bengal is the sign of a healthy sea. It is important for the survival of an ecosystem, experts say.
It was found by SM Atiqur Rahman, ocean Explorer and Director of Save Our Sea one year ago along the St Martin’s coast.
Sea urchins have a water vascular system. Their spherical shape is typically small, ranging from about three cm to 10 cm in diameter, and their bodies are covered with a spiny shell. The skeleton of a sea urchin is also known as the test.
Sea urchins can vary
greatly in colour. Some of the most frequent colours are black, red, brown, purple and light pink.
On their body, they have also hundreds of transparent tubes that emerge which allow them to stick to the bottom of the ocean or to move at a very slow pace. These unusual tubes are called “tube feet,” Which are much longer than the spines outlining their shells and they are also used by the sea urchin to trap food and in respiration.
They live in a variety of environments in many different parts of the world. Some common places they live in are in rock pools and mud, on wave-exposed rocks, on coral reefs in kelp forests and in sea grass beds. Sea urchins also commonly lodge themselves half way into the surface of sand, mud or holes. This way they can be protected from large waves or currents. Sea urchins also live in areas where they can find sources of algae, sea grass, seaweed and other foods they can consume. One very important characteristic of the sea urchin is that it is nocturnal. Sea urchins will usually hide in holes or crevasses during the day and only feed at night. A common place to find a sea urchin is coral reefs.
Experts said, like most creatures, sea urchins are vital for the survival of other living creatures surrounding them. They have many predators, and due to this, if the sea urchin population decreases, the sea creatures that feed on them might begin to die out as well.
A few predators that feed on sea urchins are sea otters and star fish. However for maintaining a healthy balance of environment, it’s very important that the population of sea urchins does not decrease or increase all that much.
Dr. Mohammad Firoj Jaman, Professor of Department of Zoology of Dhaka University told The New Nation on Thursday that Sea Urchin is enriching our marine bio-diversity. It is also important to the survival of ecosystem.
The loss of green sea urchins in Marine impacts many people’s livelihoods and continues to hinder future economic prospects for the fishery, he added.
Md. Hashibul Islam, Oceanographer and visiting lecturer of Marine Fisheries Academy, Chittagong said that it is sign of healthy ocean. It is needed to do research for what is the amount in the Bay of Bengal throughout the year.
The presence of Sea Urchin along the St Martin coast of the Bay of Bengal is the sign of a healthy sea. It is important for the survival of an ecosystem, experts say.
It was found by SM Atiqur Rahman, ocean Explorer and Director of Save Our Sea one year ago along the St Martin’s coast.
Sea urchins have a water vascular system. Their spherical shape is typically small, ranging from about three cm to 10 cm in diameter, and their bodies are covered with a spiny shell. The skeleton of a sea urchin is also known as the test.
Sea urchins can vary
greatly in colour. Some of the most frequent colours are black, red, brown, purple and light pink.
On their body, they have also hundreds of transparent tubes that emerge which allow them to stick to the bottom of the ocean or to move at a very slow pace. These unusual tubes are called “tube feet,” Which are much longer than the spines outlining their shells and they are also used by the sea urchin to trap food and in respiration.
They live in a variety of environments in many different parts of the world. Some common places they live in are in rock pools and mud, on wave-exposed rocks, on coral reefs in kelp forests and in sea grass beds. Sea urchins also commonly lodge themselves half way into the surface of sand, mud or holes. This way they can be protected from large waves or currents. Sea urchins also live in areas where they can find sources of algae, sea grass, seaweed and other foods they can consume. One very important characteristic of the sea urchin is that it is nocturnal. Sea urchins will usually hide in holes or crevasses during the day and only feed at night. A common place to find a sea urchin is coral reefs.
Experts said, like most creatures, sea urchins are vital for the survival of other living creatures surrounding them. They have many predators, and due to this, if the sea urchin population decreases, the sea creatures that feed on them might begin to die out as well.
A few predators that feed on sea urchins are sea otters and star fish. However for maintaining a healthy balance of environment, it’s very important that the population of sea urchins does not decrease or increase all that much.
Dr. Mohammad Firoj Jaman, Professor of Department of Zoology of Dhaka University told The New Nation on Thursday that Sea Urchin is enriching our marine bio-diversity. It is also important to the survival of ecosystem.
The loss of green sea urchins in Marine impacts many people’s livelihoods and continues to hinder future economic prospects for the fishery, he added.
Md. Hashibul Islam, Oceanographer and visiting lecturer of Marine Fisheries Academy, Chittagong said that it is sign of healthy ocean. It is needed to do research for what is the amount in the Bay of Bengal throughout the year.
