edible sea urchins?

[tommyk]

The report you mention has a date of 1999 on it. All the data referenced dates are from 1985 through 1998, giving the most recent data in that report eight years old. Pete Kalvass, one of the co-authors, declared the urchin fishery in imminent danger of collapse back in 1985 (I happened to have been at that meeting), and called for an immediate five year moratorium on urchin harvesting.
Urchins are an incredibly resilient animal, and were able to withstand the unregulated harvest of nearly a thousand divers (no size limits, no closed seasons, zero regulations.) Moreover, the urchin divers of the new millennium, I believe, have a different mindset of the 70’s & 80’s divers (remember, divers were once paid, under the auspices of CDFG, to kill urchins with hammers). Today’s diver’s, for the most part, realize what a precious resource urchins are, and work hard to keep the fishery sustainable and dynamic.
The poor little sea urchin of 2006 is currently being pulled in many directions: processors want more divers (which CDFG is considering), sushi bars want more uni, and most divers want to keep the permit level at 300 (the target number when regulations were established back in 1986).
In 1978, when my urchin diving career began, we took 90 of 100 urchins in a bed - today’s diver takes 1 in 50! It’s a great fishery, and divers work hard to protect it. By the way, Dr. Chris Dewees (marine fisheries specialist), calls the California urchin fishery, a “model fishery”, due to the volunteer work and involvement of fishermen.
I realize that in many instances, sport & commercial interests clash, and we all have our own agendas, but I firmly believe there are ways for us to “share the ocean”

TK

 

[scuba66]

hi there . i reside in canada and fish sea urchins here in the bay of fundy. our season runs from october1 until may 15th. we fish the green short spined varity, i fished this for 8 years before even trying some. it reminded me of the taste of raw carrot with the aftertaste of watermelon rine. sort of off sweet. when it is in its best eating its a golden orange, firm almost the shape of a cats tongue. we have strict quotas, and size regulations here and are monitored as to the quota for our fishery. we diove for them by the way, using open mouth dive bags and garden rakes to scrape them off the rocks. usually you check for roe count before fishing an area.

 

[tommyk]

Bob3 - wow, interesting, thorough, and informative! I hope you'll consider carrying my book on your online store (available in September).

TK

 

[Scuba]

I realize that in many instances, sport & commercial interests clash, and we all have our own agendas, but I firmly believe there are ways for us to “share the ocean”

Absolutely.

The report I referenced is somewhat outdated, yet it's repercussions are still felt today. It portrays a rather typical picture in regards to ocean resource management by regulatory agencies, and the severe resource depletion they tolerate. The newest report on that same page portrays a better, yet somewhat troubling prospect far from a rosie picture. After nearly 20 years the "capacity goal" of 300 permits has not been reached. There is now pressure to increase it, or "change" it as the report states. Considering the many remaining unknowns in ocean resource management, the heretofor prevalent side of erring towards depletion, we have a bar that has been set so low, when one exists at all, that it's difficult not to question any assertions about an effective new model. So, I hope you'll understand my skepticism. And I'm not completely unsympathetic to the plight of the regulatory agencies, since they are usually working with either insufficient resources, or severely lacking those necessary to do their job. Their hands are often tied by what I consider outdate regulations, too. But I'm wandering away from the main topic now.

Anyway's, it's encouraging to see that many who make a living from these resources gain a more comprehensive understanding of the issues, and of where their true interests lie, as odd as that may sound. They are the true keepers of the flame at the moment and will be the ones who determine the future.

In 1978, when my urchin diving career began, we took 90 of 100 urchins in a bed - today’s diver takes 1 in 50!

I'm curious as to how you reached the 1 in 50 figure. On a bed of 100, where let's say 60 are harvestable, they will only take 2?

 

[tommyk]

Yes, I agree that the state of California, in it’s approach to fisheries management, has always been inadequate. Part of the problem is revenue - for instance, in regards to permit numbers, first you need to know the formula for the decrease: you can’t simply take away someone’s permit. It’s been done on an attrition basis, quite successfully I think. However, since processors want more uni, they’re lobbying for more permits. CDFG needs the revenue the increased number of permits would bring. It’s a lively topic among fishery members. Alaska is much more conservative in it’s approach to fisheries management - I wish we could follow their models. But that’s another topic altogether.

As for the 1 of 50 harvest number - that is an estimate -an illustration of where the fishery stands today as opposed to 25 years ago. We’ve found that somewhere between 9 months and three years (my estimates - depends on many factors) after harvesting an area, the second generation appears (we call it regrowth). These urchins are smaller, lighter, and of much higher quality (roe is firmer and brighter yellow). Today a typical urchin bed at the Channel Islands, might have animals that represent 20 generations! So, to answer your question, if an area contains 80 legal urchins out of 100, the diver will take 80 urchins. If the area contains 1 out of 200 “legals”, he’ll take 1. That might bring up the question, “why harvest an area with only 1 legal out of 200, when you can go over to the next kelp bed and take 80 out of 100?” The answer, is because that diver is experienced and he has a good working relationship with his processor. He knows that his poundage will be less, but that he is harvesting arguably the highest quality uni in the world, and it will command the best price, which will be reflected in his paycheck.

I understand your concerns, and I agree with much of them. I also appreciate the tone of our discussion. My father used to say “An argument is the exchange of ignorance, whereas a discussion is an exchange of intelligence.”

I’m sure our discussion on this volatile topic could go on forever, but just know that there are people in the California sea urchin business who are concerned about the importance of maintaining a sustainable fishery, as well as protecting our beautiful underwater environment, and who work hard towards those ends.

TK

 

[thereefgeek]

I had fresh (right out of the ocean) Uni last summer while Ab diving of the Sonoma coast. We came back to shore after pulling our limits, grabbed some beers and compared sizes of our gastropodial delicasie. One of the guys we dove with proceded to unload a few red urchin from his game bag and crack them open. After carefuly seperating the roe from the rest of the disgusting innards he rinsed with a splash of his beer and slurped it up right there on the rocks. Never tasking Uni before (and believe me, I LOVE sushi), I partook in the "beer bathed egg sacks" and it really wasn't bad at all. Like some have posted above, it tasted a bit like the bottom of the ocean, slightly sweet and a bit salty (and a bit like Heineken). My newfound freediving buddy advised me never to eat that crap they surve in sushi resturants, but I'd certainly eat it fresh from the sea again. In fact, I think I will now purposefuly seek it out

 

[tommyk]

Gastropodial? I can see I am communication with people who may have a higher degree of eurdition than me ... uni seems to be catching on to us non-asians these days. A SF based promoter is arranging a "sea urchin foraging expedition" in the early fall up here on the north coast. I'll be leading a group of divers out on kayaks to capture the critters, then several sushi chefs from around the bay area will be in the campground to show off their skills and prepare various recipes. There will also be some media folks there as well. Should be a blast.

TK