Collapse of kelp forests imperils North Coast ocean ecosystem

Isnt there a limit on urchins? 

Isnt there a limit on urchins? 

35

There's what's right and there's what's right, and never the twin shall meet.

i wonder if you could get a depredation permit.

no mention of sea stars in the video. They eat urchins too and have been devestated by wasting disease. No otters + no sea stars = no kelp

Isnt there a limit on urchins? 

35

There's what's right and there's what's right, and never the twin shall meet.

i wonder if you could get a depredation permit.

I sent a simple email to the Bay Foundation mentioned in the clip asking them how they got permission to destroy so many urchins.  May never hear back or may get some good info,

So, it is ok to smash urchins because they destroy kelp, but not ok to shoot wolves for destroying elk, deer, and livestock?

See, this is where I have to call out people are hypocrites. Both impact many industries that thousands of people depend upon for their way of life and living. Think about that for a minute before smashing me for corking doggies if you are for crushing urchins. Not that I have a dog in that fight economically, but it is apples and apples.

Let's pick a spot, suit up, and smash those little purple kelp eaters.  The video and other information make it seem like a win win and it is something we can do to protect and restore our fisheries.

I will play devil's advocate and say that nature needs to take its course. The ocean will find a balance between kelp and urchins through natural balance. There may be cycles of higher urchins followed by years of no kelp which will in turn reduce the number of urchins allowing the kelp to grow.

Same argument they gave about the wolves.

Hmm, not sure I've heard of a wolf barren. 

Have now hahaha

Before anyone starts smashing urchins... there seems to be a lot of professional literature on this, and experiments.. and its a bit complicated. In one study, for example, removing urchins resulted in a bunch of micro algae, which is not good for a reef. In another they discovered that juvenile abalone use urchins as shelter from predators, so urchin removal resulted in a consequent drop in abalone recruitment.  Urchin removal resulted in increased sedimentation (also bad for reefs), and in another case they figured out that the particular urchin was feeding on macro algae (kelp) fragments, not growing stalks.... "Urchins thus serve as mobile protective cafeterias for juvenile abalone." (McClanahan and Branch 2008; Food Webs and Dynamics...) 
This experimental removal in Santa Monica is only a few years old. Maybe wait for some data before launching an assault.....

Colleague of mine spent last week diving on the Mendocino coast.  She sent me a few photos of the underwater scene over there.  Virtually no kelp where they were diving.  Noted that the ocean floor was "covered" with purple urchins in many areas.  Check out the size of the abalone relative to its shell--wow!

Re posting this, pretty apparent urchin population needs to go down. 

https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/

Isnt there a limit on urchins? 

35

There's what's right and there's what's right, and never the twin shall meet.

i wonder if you could get a depredation permit.

I sent a simple email to the Bay Foundation mentioned in the clip asking them how they got permission to destroy so many urchins.  May never hear back or may get some good info,

The Bay Foundation did respond to my email, basically they have a permit from DFW for this work, and the permit is very specific in the numbers of urchins that can be removed and with pre and post-monitoring and reporting requirements.

Before anyone starts smashing urchins... there seems to be a lot of professional literature on this, and experiments.. and its a bit complicated. In one study, for example, removing urchins resulted in a bunch of micro algae, which is not good for a reef. In another they discovered that juvenile abalone use urchins as shelter from predators, so urchin removal resulted in a consequent drop in abalone recruitment.  Urchin removal resulted in increased sedimentation (also bad for reefs), and in another case they figured out that the particular urchin was feeding on macro algae (kelp) fragments, not growing stalks.... "Urchins thus serve as mobile protective cafeterias for juvenile abalone." (McClanahan and Branch 2008; Food Webs and Dynamics...) 
This experimental removal in Santa Monica is only a few years old. Maybe wait for some data before launching an assault.....

True and there is the other fact, pointed out by Phil Herranen on spearboard, that warm water kills kelp.  Period.

Colleague of mine spent last week diving on the Mendocino coast.  She sent me a few photos of the underwater scene over there.  Virtually no kelp where they were diving.  Noted that the ocean floor was "covered" with purple urchins in many areas.  Check out the size of the abalone relative to its shell--wow!

I have never seen an abalone shrink before, pretty scary....., let's hope mother nature can turn it around. If not I will volunteer to dust off my dive gear, take a refresher course and lend her a hand.   

Re posting this, pretty apparent urchin population needs to go down. 

https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/

Wow, that is a depressing read.  Interesting that CDFW use a wordpress blog to distribute news.