uniting against urchins
Multi-State Alliance to Combat Great Southern Reef Crisis
Australia's oceans are home to one of the planet’s most remarkable, yet lesser-known natural wonders—the Great Southern Reef. Spanning over 8,000 kilometres and straddling five states, this reef is a vital economic resource, contributing over $11 billion annually to the nation's economy.
These kelp forests support an enormous diversity of unique marine life and underpin commercial fisheries that many local communities depend upon. However, these forests are under severe distress.
Unlike the well-publicised challenges facing the Great Barrier Reef, the crisis confronting the Great Southern Reef, remains largely overlooked.
Underwater Moonscapes
The crisis threatening this marine powerhouse is the explosive growth of the longspined sea urchin, Centrostephanus rodgersii.
Climate warming and changing oceanography are driving the southward spread of the longspined sea urchin, which devour kelp habitats, leaving behind barren seascapes devoid of life.
Delegation to Canberra
In response to the escalating crisis impacting New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, a delegation of concerned scientists, fishers and industry leaders have formed an alliance to bring the issue to the attention of political leaders in Canberra.
“We’ve Lost Control”
In a plea for support, Helen Burvill, Executive Officer of Victoria’s Eastern Zone Abalone Industry Association, highlighted the dire situation facing Eastern Zone Abalone Industry. She articulated the urgent need for intervention, stating, "The sea urchins are munching away on all of our kelp, we’ve lost control".
The devastation has resulted in a plummeting of abalone quotas, from 418 tonnes to just 208 tonnes in a little over a decade. Helen emphasised the broad repercussions, explaining, "If we continue on this trajectory and we don't do anything … it's just going to be a disaster."
Industry Impacts
Helen Burvill underscores the severe consequences of sea urchin infestation on both the marine environment and the local economy. As urchins decimate the kelp forests across Victorian reefs, the abalone industry faces dramatic reductions in harvests, highlighting the urgent need for a coordinated response to this ecological and economic crisis.
An Alarming Transformation
Chris Daniel, a seasoned commercial abalone diver, provides a firsthand account of the devastating impact sea urchins have had on his livelihood and the marine environment. Over the course of his 25-year career, he has witnessed a dramatic transformation in the reefs of Victoria.
“It’s devastating to see the effect that the urchins have on some of our favourite reefs,” Chris explains, highlighting the rapid decline from vibrant marine habitats to what he describes as resembling bare concrete slabs. The explosion in urchin populations and subsequent degradation of his local reefs has led to a drastic reduction in abalone quota, impacting the economic viability of his trade. “There was a good area of abalone habitat there, one year to the next, it was all gone. We just couldn't believe how quickly the urchin barrens developed,” he recalls. This stark transformation underscores the urgent need for effective management strategies to curb this ecological crisis.
Kelp Forest Collapse
In a vivid illustration of the issue, Associate Professor Scott Ling from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) highlighted some areas like eastern Tasmania, once hosting mere handfuls of these urchins, are now overrun by over 30 million, transforming lush kelp forests into devastating urchin barrens. “This is an absolute collapse, an absolute disaster for our temperate reef systems” stated Ling. The scale of this devastation is immense, with the densest areas experiencing up to 100,000 urchins per hectare of reef, vastly exceeding the thresholds that trigger control measures in other marine crises. For example a Crown of Thorns outbreak is triggered at 15 starfish per hectare.
Intervention Benefits
Dr. John Keane from the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania has been at the forefront of addressing the longspined sea urchin crisis affecting the Great Southern Reef. His efforts are aimed at both understanding the issue and actively proposing viable solutions that benefit both the environment and the local economy.
Keane emphasised the dual benefits of controlling sea urchin populations through commercial fisheries, which could provide economic boosts while restoring marine habitats, advocating, "The key solution is boosting our commercial fisheries to help manage the urchin populations effectively". Highlighting the successful outcomes already observed in Tasmania, where aggressive urchin harvesting has facilitated the resurgence of kelp forests, leading to increased marine biodiversity with notable rebounds in populations of species like rock lobsters and abalone. This success story from Tasmania serves as a promising model for other regions affected by similar ecological disturbances.
Developing an Industry
Chris Theodore, the director of Sea Urchin Harvest, an urchin processor located on NSW’s South Coast, has been pivotal in transforming the challenge of sea urchin overpopulation into an economic opportunity. "We're leveraging the crisis to rehabilitate the Great Southern Reef and develop a sustainable industry," said Theodore during discussions in Canberra. His company processes up to 15 tonnes of sea urchins weekly, supporting about 60 employees, and has recently ventured into international markets.
Theodore underscored the importance of innovation and scalability in the industry. "To really tackle this issue, we need to scale our operations. We're processing significant volumes, but the potential to expand is vast if we secure the necessary support and open more international markets," he explained. This expansion could lead to a more substantial impact on the reef's health and more robust economic growth regionally.
Theodore stressed the importance of federal support in expanding these efforts, "With the right backing, we can significantly mitigate the sea urchin problem while boosting local economies through new jobs and export opportunities." He hopes that increased awareness and federal funding will catalyse broader support for the developing industry, turning a severe ecological problem into a sustainable enterprise.
Image sequence by Green Sea Media
Urchin Commercial Industry
A recent Senate Inquiry report on Invasive marine species has called for immediate national investment into Centro control. The committee recognises the potential of this emerging fishery to provide substantial employment opportunities.
Tasmania’s commercial Urchin fishery has already made significant strides, removing approximately 500 tonnes per year – that's about 6 million urchins over the last five years! Thanks to the State Government and the Abalone industry's investment, including harvest subsidies, this emerging industry has been given a vital boost. It has created over 100 jobs and invigorated regional communities.
Ongoing research indicates that the fishery is not just halting the spread of urchin barrens but also facilitating the regeneration of kelp habitats in areas with intensive fishing. To effectively control urchin populations and aid kelp restoration, maximising the Centro fishery’s potential is crucial.
Win-Win Opportunity
The purpose of a Great Southern Reef Delegation visit to Parliament House in Canberra was to present the $55 million Centro Task Force Business Plan aimed at protecting the Great Southern Reef and fostering a new urchin-based industry.
The plan, as outlined by the Urchin Task Force and endorsed by a recent Senate Inquiry into Invasive Species, also includes significant investment in reef monitoring and community engagement, including with First Nations communities. This approach embodies a holistic management strategy to restore the reef and sustain it for future generations.
Centro Task Force
The Senate Inquiry report recommends that the government consider making an immediate national investment into Centro control, guided by the Centro Task Force Plan's action areas and goals.
The Centro Task Force is advocating for an immediate national investment of $55 million over the next five years. This funding is earmarked for research, monitoring, and modelling, as well as for the sustainable and cultural removal and harvesting of Centro, coupled with processing opportunities. It also calls for the development of a coordinated management approach, policy, and communication strategies to combat this urgent threat.
The Centro Task Force has developed a Business Plan to drive a unified national approach to tackling the varying challenges presented by Centro across its range.
The Centro Business Plan aims to protect, restore, and rehabilitate the health of the GSR, particularly in areas of ecological, economic, and cultural significance. It sets out to manage the impact of Centro on priority reef areas by implementing targeted management programs, monitoring reef recovery and preventing the formation of urchin barrens.
The plan includes four key action areas:
1) Reef Monitoring and Modelling to track changes and management outcomes
2) In-Water Centro Control and Rehabilitation Strategies to manage and restore affected areas,
3) Support for Harvesting and Processing to encourage sustainable industry practices
4) Management of Sea Country to empower Aboriginal stewardship using traditional knowledge.
Image (left) by Matt Testoni
From back left to right: Brendan Wadsworth, Abalone and Urchin Commercial Diver, Mallacoota VIC Chris Theodore, Director & Owner, Sea Urchin Harvest, Merimbula NSW, Dr John Keane, Wild Fisheries Program Leader & Dive Fisheries Team Leader, IMAS Tasmania, Chris Daniel, Abalone Quota Licence Owner & Diver, Marlo VIC, Helen Burvill, Executive Officer, Eastern Zone Abalone Industry Association, VIC, Dr Scott Bennett, marine ecologist at IMAS, University of Tasmania, (front left) Dr Scott Bennett, marine ecologist at IMAS, University of Tasmania, Ryan Morris, Director & Owner, Sea Urchin Harvest, Merimbula NSW,
Seeking Support
In discussions with policymakers, the Great Southern Reef Delegation, aimed to illustrate how localised successes could be scaled up to achieve significant ecological and economic benefits across multiple states. By advocating for a strategic and coordinated response that integrates scientific insight with commercial initiatives, they highlighted the need for robust government support to foster these dual-benefit solutions.
Imperative Action
In an emphatic call to action, Dr. Patrick Hone, Managing Director of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, emphasised the unique and pressing nature of the sea urchin crisis. Under Dr. Hone’s leadership, the newly formed Task Force translates $55 million into concrete, community-based actions, starting with extensive in-water control measures to manage the exploding urchin populations. An additional focus on reef monitoring ensures adaptive management strategies can be implemented effectively, while investment in processing and product development aims to create sustainable economic opportunities from the crisis.
The Delegation visit to Parliament House was a decisive step toward national recognition and support for addressing the sea urchin crisis. With the proposed strategies, there is a palpable sense of urgency and a clear pathway forward, underscored by a coalition of scientists, commercial stakeholders, and government officials. The path forward is clear: by embracing innovative solutions and fostering collaborative efforts, Australia can transform an ecological crisis into a sustainable sollution, safeguarding the Great Southern Reef for generations to come. Rarely a problem and its solution are presented so clearly together; therefore the onus is now on policymakers to act decisively. Investing in the Urchin Task Force is not merely advisable; it is imperative.
