Sex Education to Sea Urchins to Curb Populations

OCEAN REVIEW - Sea urchin populations are being targeted in a new initiative funded by the CSIRO, which aims at educating them about the importance of protected sex. The new program is instigated from a need to control the exponential rise in urchin numbers, driven by changing climatic factors.

“… as the global water temperature warms, sea urchins are migrating towards cooler waters placing strains on [kelp] populations” explained Professor Sonia Beckett, the coordinator and mastermind behind the plot.

The scheme involves the broader education of the importance of contraceptives, targeting urchins of the adolescent age and older. “We are hoping that the government will assist in erecting billboards and providing education at the high school level”, Beckett said.

Sea urchin populations have risen by 73% since 2006, and are projected to increase to 374% by 2050. “By introducing new methods of population control, we hope to be able to improve methods that have previously failed”.

October 5th, 2012

Photos: Saspotato on Flickr