Urchin Info

So besides loving uni I have been experimenting with using the shells of urchins to make cool little night lights.

I looked up the CA DFG rules and what I think they say (those things are hard to read man!!  ) is that, unless you are in a spot where harvesting them is prohibited, you can take up to 35 a day!

I have no desire to spend the time to take that many each time time I go out, but could see myself bringing back 10 or so if I find a bunch (about as many as would fit in a goodie bag)...I have been to spots where I have found none, and spots where under each rock there were one or two...

So....I guess I am wondering what you guys think about harvesting these spiny critters...even though I would be well within the DFG rules, is there a negative impact to an area by taking out this many urchins, or maybe a positive one???

 

I really have no clue and am interested in finding out just so I have a better understanding of the role the urchins play in regards to say abalone populations etc...

Any insight/opinions/feedback greatly appreciated!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I say take as much as you can eat.  10 urchins hardly put a dent in the population & I couldn't imagine the space needed to store 35!  In fact, too many urchins are bad for the kelp forests.  They tend to overtake areas & wipe out the kelp, especially with the lack of natural predators.  Seen them run rampant in both socal & norcal spots.

Lot of articles on it, here's a snippet from one:

Because of their tendency to feed mainly on the base of the kelp, they tend to detach the whole plant from the substrate by eating through the stipe so that it will float away.An over abundance of urchins can lead to heavy grazing that results in barren areas that are free of kelp. These empty spots are aptly referred to as "urchin barrens".

http://marine-life.suite101.com/article.cfm/sea_otters_and_sea_urchins

I'd love to take more, but can only eat so much... & they're such a pain to deal with.

Urchin lamp looks awesome - my next project for sure.   

Urchin lamp looks awesome - my next project for sure.   

You can mount one on your dive light.



Jim, harvest away less uni = more food for abs.

Thanks fellas!!

Yeah, I vaguely remember from my classes at UCSC that back in the day when people shot otters for their fur, there where no more otters to eat the urchins, the urchins went crazy and ate all the kelp stalks at the base and killed a bunch of the ecosystem...something about Keystone species or something...really should remember more but I did go to UCSC after all!

 

Thanks again for the insight...I really appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Jim

In may, at Albion, the commercial Urchin divers had crates and crates of them on the dock, actually thousands of urchins...

Ive read the same about them destroying the kelp too... And coral reefs in other parts of the world

Sounds like another mission for A-Hulls! Urchin-a-cide!

I take the limit of 35... and once I am home, its only a matter of 1hr, before they are all gone.  I just have so many friends and relatives that love to eat it, that we never store it in the fridge.

Read the book 'Blue Water Gold Rush'. You aren't going to hurt the population.

Jim,
Your concern for the resource is commendable but like others have said, harvest away, urchins as a whole are extremely plentiful. By controlling their numbers, you save fish habitat and food source for abalone and much more.

Once you've seen an Urchin Barren with all plant life gone and wall-to-wall urchins remaining, you may decide to offer Uni on the menu even more often!