A review of urchin barrens and the longspined sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) in New South Wales, Australia

Rachel Przeslawski; Rowan C. Chick; Tom Davis; Jeremy K. Day; Tim M. Glasby; Nathan Knott; Maria Byrne

doi:10.1071/MF24149

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 76(5)

A review of urchin barrens and the longspined sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) in New South Wales, Australia

Rachel Przeslawski

^A ^* , Rowan C. Chick

^B , Tom Davis

^B , Jeremy K. Day ^C ^D , Tim M. Glasby ^B , Nathan Knott

^A ^C and Maria Byrne ^E

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW2500, Australia.

^B New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Fisheries, Taylors Beach, NSW 2316, Australia.

^C New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Fisheries, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia.

^D University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, NSW 2258, Australia.

^E School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: rachel.przeslawski@uow.edu.au

Handling Editor: Man Ying Jill Chiu

Marine and Freshwater Research 76, MF24149 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24149

Submitted: 21 July 2024 Accepted: 25 February 2025 Published: 24 March 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC)

Abstract

Context

Centrostephanus rodgersii is the most dominant urchin species in south-eastern Australia and the primary macroalgal grazer, thus creating and maintaining barrens habitat. The role, formation and persistence of barrens are common topics of interest among academic, industry, Indigenous, conservation and government groups.

Aims

This review focuses on the role of barrens habitat and C. rodgersii in New South Wales (NSW), with an aim to inform debate and guide continued inter-jurisdictional management and research.

Results

Over 30 years of research shows that barrens occur across most of the NSW coastline, but they tend to be larger and more numerous along the southern coast. Centrostephanus rodgersii and barrens have remained stable in shallow NSW waters since the 1960s, but limited earlier data prevent the identification of longer historical patterns. Climate change predictions show that C. rodgersii may disappear from northern NSW and increase along the far NSW southern coast over the next 100 years, although this may be modulated by local thermally acclimated populations.

Conclusions

This review indicates that the presence, persistence and role of barrens and C. rodgersii seem unique in NSW and likely warrant different management strategies as the species shifts its distribution.

Keywords: coralline algae, echinoderm, kelp, macroalgae, marine invertebrate, rocky reef, shifting baseline, south-eastern Australia.

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