Save the starfish of Kenya's coast

This is a plea for help, a very serious call for aid. The coast of Kenya has an enemy which if left unchecked will destroy the tourist trade and thus the entire economy. The enemy has an accomplice, a wide-eyed, innocent-looking fiend. What the hell am I talking about? The sea urchin, and the beach boy.

The coast of Kenya is perfect in every way. The sun shines brightly, it'’s hot, the sea is warm, the people friendly, and there is a coral reef, perfect for diving, which protects the beaches from any nasty currents or large waves. Unfortunately it is this last which is the subject of this plea.

Tourists come, they think everything is amazing, the beaches are beautiful and so is the wildlife. Tourists pick up shells- well where's the harm in that? They will only become sand and what a waste that is. A beach boy sees tourists picking up pretty shells and realises that there is a living to be made from this- a living which will eliminate forever the temptation to prostitute himself out to tourists to feed his family, and which will provide a good income. All he needs to do is pick up really pretty shells, clean them up a bit and sell them to rich tourists.

But then someone else gets the idea, and another, and another and soon there are no shells left on the beach. Well everyone knows that the reef is packed full of pretty shells, so they go and pick up these shells. Well,– what difference does it make if the slimy, nasty things that live inside them are dead or alive!

One of the shells most prized by tourists is the star fish, and they are really easy to kill, you just dry them out! Here, now, is the crux of the problem. The only animal that eats the sea urchin is the star fish. Without the star fish these black or red spiny creatures have no check and the result of the removal of the star fish is only too plain. There are huge black, spiky carpets which make swimming or walking pretty much impossible. You can pick your way slowly through them with the aid of a mask, snorkel and stout shoes but really it is asking for trouble.

The consequences of having picked our way really carefully through the urchins!

Here comes my plea, watch out! If anyone knows of a marine biologist or zoologist who is in need of a project in a nice warm, safe but tropical environment, then please point them this way. In fact please leave a comment on this post then I can help, I'’ve friends who run a hotel down there so I'’m sure I could wangle something. This project would be so easy, I'’m sure there'’d be funding for it if you could prove the damage to the tourism industry that they are causing and the benefits to the community if you could solve it.

All you need to do is get the locals to start selling the sea urchin shells instead of the starfish. Or if your morals don'’t allow the selling of any shells, then get the hotels to serve up sea urchin soup as a local and ecologically correct dish.

Here is a recipe. I'm sure it rocks?!

SEA URCHINS WITH LINGUINE

20 very fresh sea urchins 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (taste the oil, must have very delicate flavor) 1 - 2 cloves of garlic chili pepper - a tiny bit 2 Tablespoons of parsley, minced salt to taste 3/4 pound pasta

Using a heavy glove in the left hand take a sea urchin and with the point of a pair of scissors cut a circle large enough to spoon out the meat inside. Make sure that none of the shell or the spines is included.

Set the pasta water to boil, and when boiling cook the pasta.

Peel the garlic, crush it slighsautend sautee it gently on low heat with a hint of the hot pepper until a light gold color.

A few minutes before the pasta (about 7 - 8 minutes) is ready, add the sea urchin to the oil and gasautend sautee gently until the pasta is ready. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Drain the pasta, place in a large, heated serving bowl, add the sea urchin sauce, and mix well. Add a sprinkle of parsley and serve.

Please, if you do know someone who can sort this, I'’d love to help. If I'd got all the money in the world, I'’d go do an engineering degree and then a zoology degree and then solve the world'’s problems but hell, people are going to have to do it for me!