Is the Black Sea urchin endangered?

Answer 1

No, despite losing 95-99% of all individuals in the Caribbean to a disease in 1983-1984, the black sea urchin has never been listed as Endangered under the US Endangered Species Act.

While there is no denying their importance to the reef community, and the impact their absence had during the outbreak, marine invertebrates like urchins can only be listed on the species level, not by population or region. Without enough research to support multiple species of black sea urchin there has never been enough evidence to deem listing the Caribbean population.