Urchin ethics

[scuba e]

I just read another post asking why we have so many urchins. One of the responces refered to the program going on near the old Marine Land and Santa Monica bay. I was not aware the urchins were simply being transplanted to open water.
When i got my open water cert my instructor busted open an Urchin and the Garibaldi went nuts. Hard to say it went to waste.
years later when I got my Instructor Cert the CDI that trained me asked that not be done as it could make the shop look irresponcible.
My question to you, my fellow Socal divers, is this; why not just pop a few on each dive?
Not blood lust, just bust a few open on dives were the Urchin to kelp ratio is obviously out of balance. It would appear to me that it would supply an easy meal to the locals and help the kelp.
Your thoughts?

 

[BigCountryEsq]

I can't speak for the west coast but on the east coast down in Florida, it seems like the urchin population is directly proportional to the nusaince algae population. It seems that urchains are the only critter that actively feeds on this algae and helps keep it in check. Unfortunately run off in the form of fertilizers has increased the nitrates and phosphates so much that this algae grows rampant covering the near shore reefs.

 

[drbill]

First, urchins are not the problem... humans are. "We" eliminated the sea otter from our region back in the early 1800s. We overfished other predators like sheephead and lobster. We dumped raw sewage in the ocean prior to the Clean Water Act of 1972, giving them an extra source of (yuck) nourishment after they'd gobbled up the kelp forests.

Killing urchins here in Catalina waters is not necessary or advisable. They are not the problem here that they are in many mainland locations or some areas of the northern Channel Islands. In fact it irritates me (and the urchins) when I see instructors kill them in our dive park at Casino Point just to show other divers. Soon that will be totally illegal.

As for mainland areas that are infested with an over abundance of urchins due to the reasons in paragraph one, that may be another story. However, decades ago when I first arrived in SoCal, divers were being told to crush them. There was a concerted effort back then. It didn't work for the reasons in paragraph one.

 

[JMdiver]

I also heard that when you break them open you release sperm or eggs to help them multiply. Don't know how true that is but it's slowed me down on breaking them open.

John

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Urban legend.

Sea Urchins are often found living in clumps from five to ten. They have the ability to regenerate lost spines. Lifespan often exceeds 30 years, and scientists have found some specimens to be over 200 years old.[2] Spawning peaks between June and September. Eggs are fertilized externally while they float in the ocean, and planktonic larvae (echinopluteus) remain in the water column for about a month before settling on the bottom of the sea floor, where they undergo metamorphosis into juvenile urchins. These juveniles use chemical cues to locate adults. Although juveniles are found almost exclusively under aggregated adults, the adults and juveniles are not directly related. Red Sea Urchins can effectively reproduce even if they are incredibly old.

 

[Teamcasa]

In the early days of diving here, breaking open urchins was common and no issue. But then again, we have learned so much more about ocean life in the intervening years.

Busting one open today is a bad habit to get into. Just enjoy the dive, watch the marine life and learn.

 

[fnfalman]

I haven't done it yet, but I sure wanted to break open a few dozens whenever I dive the far side of Anacapa and see nothing but sea urchins and barren rock.

 

[drbill]

Urban legend.

Sea Urchins are often found living in clumps from five to ten. They have the ability to regenerate lost spines. Lifespan often exceeds 30 years, and scientists have found some specimens to be over 200 years old.[2] Spawning peaks between June and September. Eggs are fertilized externally while they float in the ocean, and planktonic larvae (echinopluteus) remain in the water column for about a month before settling on the bottom of the sea floor, where they undergo metamorphosis into juvenile urchins. These juveniles use chemical cues to locate adults. Although juveniles are found almost exclusively under aggregated adults, the adults and juveniles are not directly related. Red Sea Urchins can effectively reproduce even if they are incredibly old.

Gulp, I guess there's "hope" for me still!

As for the urban legend, I wouldn't be surprised if breaking open urchins of both genders simultaneously could indeed result in fertilization IF the eggs and sperm were both mature and ready. However, it is probably unlikely.

 

[asymmetries]

Just as humans have created a problem of overpopulation due to elimination of predators, the sea otter due to competition and the sheephead and lobsters to eat. The same mechanism would surely work for the sea urchin too.

Sea urchin (Uni) is available for consumption at your local sushi restaurant. You can get it as is, mixed in a paste, or inside a quail egg omelet. Some restaurants even feature sea urchin from local waters, which is very good.

Illinois has taken a similar approach in dealing with the asian carp infestation, some 30 million pounds of the stuff, which is now knocking at the gates of the Great Lakes having already conquered most of the Mississippi and Illinois waterways.