New Zealand sea urchin | |
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Kina feeding on kelp causing a kina barren near the Noises in the Hauraki Gulf | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Echinodermata |
Class: | Echinoidea |
Order: | Camarodonta |
Family: | Echinometridae |
Genus: | Evechinus |
Species: | E. chloroticus
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Binomial name | |
Evechinus chloroticus Valenciennes, 1846
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Kina (Evechinus chloroticus) is a sea urchin endemic to New Zealand. This echinoderm belongs to the family Echinometridae and it can reach a maximum diameter of 16–17 cm.[1]
Kina populations throughout New Zealand have dramatically grown due to the effects of overfishing and climate change, resulting in over-grazing that significantly damages kelp forest ecosystems. Kina are now being actively removed from many ecosystems for marine conservation efforts.[2]
Kina have been a traditional component of Māori diet since pre-European times and has been fished commercially since 1986 in small quantities under the quota management system in restricted areas along the coast of New Zealand.[1][3] Attempts to export E. chloroticus to Asian markets have been unsuccessful, so it may not be an economically attractive species for aquaculture development.[4][5]
Evechinus chloroticus is distributed throughout New Zealand and in some northern and southern offshore islands.[1][6] It is the most common sea urchin species in New Zealand.[7]