16 Mar, 2021
PHUKET: Marine life experts have again been called in to investigate a mass of red sea urchins washing ashore Patong Beach after more than 1,000 of the spiny creatures were left on the sand at Patong yesterday (Mar 15).
Local residents again raised the alarm after finding the sea urchins, measuring 8-15cm across, littered along the beach in front of the Patong Merlin Hotel early yesterday morning.
Officers from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) have collected some specimens for investigation and took some water samples for testing.
The officers reported that the beach water temperature was 32.6°C, and the water had a salinity reading of 30ppt (parts per thousand) and a pH reading of 8.07.
The DMCR yesterday identified the sea urchins as ‘Astropyga radiata Leske’, the same as those that washed ashore on Mar 2.
The officers also said that the sea urchins had been left stranded on the beach by strong waves during the spring tide, the same explanation given on Mar 2.
However, DMCR officers yesterday also explained that the sea urchins have come close to shore in Patong to feast on macro algae that has bloomed in the bay during the current sea weather conditions.
The sea urchins were cleared from the beach later yesterday. However, lifeguards at Patong have warned people to beware any sea urchins that may have been left undiscovered on the beach due to their sharp spines.
