Red Sea corals threatened by mystery sea urchin deaths

Eilat, Israel (AFP) Sept 24, 2023

The Red Sea's spectacular coral reefs face a new threat, marine biologists warn - the mass death of sea urchins that may be caused by a mystery disease. Because the long-spined creatures feed on algae that can suffocate corals, their die-off could "destroy our entire coral reef ecosystem", warned scientist Lisa-Maria Schmidt. In Israel's Red Sea resort of Eilat, which borders Jordan and