AgroaldeaTHE INVASION HAS CREATED Blanquizales LACKING ANY silver lining MARINE LIFE.
As the saying goes that "a skinny dog flea all are". And that's what seems to happen in the municipality of La Aldea de San Nicolás. If the voracious pest whitefly has joined him, recently, the first outbreaks of tomato moth; under the sea a voracious plague devastates the funds creating huge deserts.
This is the Diadema antillarum also known by the common name “bristles”, “Urchin Lima”, “long-spined black hedgehog” o, simply, “Diadem”.
The damage that is occurring in associated funds to the municipality of La Aldea, like the rest of the islands, It does not correspond with ecosystem protection.
In this sense, The village has Special Reserve Navy-Guy that the EU has declared LIC, Site of Community Importance, and it is included in the Natura network of natural spaces 2000.
This area includes the coastal strip between Tasartico and the ravine of La Aldea, eight kilometers offshore.
The hedgehog is responsible for the formation of most of the Canary Islands blanquizales, which it is the name given to the rocky bottoms that have lost their plant and animal covered by the scraping action of high densities of sea urchins.
These voracious herbivores have a studied strategy to fend off predators, mainly fish. Hedgehogs feed at night and during the day shelter in cracks or caves, They clustered or grouped with rocks, forming real fortresses defended by its huge barbed, which can reach 15 cms. of length.
They are gregarious and know their territory since the vast majority return to the same cave with the first morning light. This behavior varies pressure predators. In sparsely fish, They not tend to cluster or seek refuge.
When the diameter of the shell is small hedgehogs, These can serve as food for many species of fish, like green rooster, blue tamboril, the pejeverde, los lights, etc.
However, when urchins reach a larger size, only they can be attacked by some species of large fish and strong jaws as the thorny tamboril, the Pejeperro, sama Thrush, the bocinegro, los lights, etc., and some macroinvertebrates as some species of starfish and large conch shells as the Busio.
Urchin eradication lime Islands, where many diving clubs organize dives for the sole purpose to kill as many as possible, is a very laudable effort.
However, it is necessary to raise public awareness about the dangers infringe nature if we do not involve everyone in your protection.
But, Regrettably, While these efforts by clubs and partners makes known the problem, is not a real solution because the etiology (study of the causes) and dissemination of hedgehog makes his absence only apparent.
Blanquizales happens that present a false recovery, actually, a cover is pre-algárea. Like this, soon, hedgehog will recover areas where it was eliminated because spores infusion in water.
Both divers and the few fishermen who are left in La Aldea, They lament the rapid advancement and destruction of the seabed. From the local diving club increased blanquizales is found in areas such as Los Canalizos, Tip, Tasarte, Tasartico, Gu-Guy or Peñón Bermejo.
The blanquizales bring with it the loss of food for fish that migrate from lack of food. Fish banks were created on the coast of La Aldea have been disappearing, slowly and inexorably.
After deforestation that have suffered the islands in recent 500 years, This is possibly the greatest environmental disaster of ecosystems canaries: loss of biodiversity and productivity of coastal rocky bottoms by the expansion of Diadema antillarum.