A man’s battle to exterminate a massive outbreak of “dangerous sea urchins” by himself

The soothing sound of “kong, kong, kong, kong.

Sui, who runs the YouTube channel “Sui Channel,” smashes the sea urchins with a hammer while the soothing sound echoes in the sea. Sui, 38, runs the YouTube channel “Sui Channel. He is a specialist who has been working as a volunteer sea urchin exterminator for about four years now, mainly in the Kyushu region. It’s a shame to kill sea urchins, a luxury food!　However, the sea urchins that Sui exterminates are actually a nuisance to the sea.

But the sea urchin that Sui destroys is actually a nuisance to the sea. There are two noteworthy characteristics of the gangaze. The first is that they form groups of several dozen or more. The second is their unique feeding habits. They are omnivores, eating not only seaweed, but also coral and fish meat. Their appetite is so great that they sometimes gnaw through the acrylic panels of their tanks. Even though it is a big eater, it is a sea urchin that is resistant to starvation.

Nowadays, sea urchins such as Gangaze are occurring in large numbers all over Japan, causing a serious problem called “rock scorch.

Rock scorch is known as the “desertification of the sea” and occurs when seaweed and coral sprouts that grow on the seabed are uprooted and eaten by gannet and the rocky shore is polished to a smooth surface. This makes it difficult for organisms that use seaweed as a hiding place to grow, such as young horse mackerels and lobster larvae, to settle on the rocks.

According to Sui, there is also a “man-made disaster” aspect to the massive outbreak of gannet.

According to Sui, there is also a “man-made disaster” aspect to the massive outbreak of gannet. Originally, gannet was a creature that lived in the southern seas around Kagoshima. But now it has expanded its habitat to the north, including the Seto Inland Sea. They have also started to eat seaweed in winter, when their activities would normally slow down. Just because they have occurred in large numbers in the process of changing the underwater environment, gannet fish are also essentially essential to the diversity of the sea, providing shelter for small organisms. It is important to thin out their numbers appropriately while observing the ecosystem. It is difficult to restore the sea to its original state, but we are gradually seeing results from the extermination, such as an increase in seaweed.

Today, Mr. Sui continues to split sea urchins in an effort to protect the marine environment.

From “FRIDAY” February 4, 2022 issue