Red Sea corals threatened by mass sea urchin die-off, Israeli researchers say

By ILAN BEN ZION
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Scientists say that sea urchins in Israel’s Gulf of Eilat in the Red Sea are dying at an alarming rate, threatening the sea’s prized coral reef ecosystems. The massive die-off first began in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, from where it speared to the neighboring Red Sea. The Tel Aviv University scientists said on Wednesday that an unknown pathogen is killing off black sea urchins, a species critical to maintaining a healthy balance in the reef habitat. Last month, researchers in the U.S. identified a single-celled parasite responsible for a similar mass die-off of sea urchins in the Caribbean that has laid waste to reef ecosystems.