Sea Urchins

[pacificgal]

You all seem to have a lot of sea urchins in So. Cal. Do they not have a natural predator? Wouldn't there be a great commercial market for uni, or are these not edible? I saw two kinds when I was there, light purple smallish ones and dark red wine colored larger ones. The larger dark ones seemed to hide in cracks (or create their own holes it seemed) and the light purple ones were everywhere. Wondering why we have some in Monterey but not a great abundance, sea otters eating ours, perhaps?

 

[Divebum Don]

We do have mucho urchins. Since the demise of our local otters (and overfishing of some species) we've been plagued by urchins in many areas. Purple, black and red. Traditionally the red are most popular for Uni. But I've seen teams take huge sacks of all species. In some areas the Santa Monica Baykeepers have made an effort to eradicate them by taking them off shore (deep) with good success. They're a menace to Macrocystis (Giant Kelp) and have few other predators. The Sheephead also eats urchins, and is an important species to kelp forest balance. Some commercial urchin divers exist and do their part to rid us of Urchin barrens. I just can't stand seein' folks spearfish for Sheephead , they're crittical to the health of our local marine ecosystems, besides, how cool is a fish that "morphs".

 

[Mo2vation]

You all seem to have a lot of sea urchins in So. Cal. Do they not have a natural predator? Wouldn't there be a great commercial market for uni, or are these not edible? I saw two kinds when I was there, light purple smallish ones and dark red wine colored larger ones. The larger dark ones seemed to hide in cracks (or create their own holes it seemed) and the light purple ones were everywhere. Wondering why we have some in Monterey but not a great abundance, sea otters eating ours, perhaps?

When you go to a protected area, like parts of Anacapa (protected = no fishing) the larger predators that eat urchins, Sheephead and Lobster, I believe, thrive and mow these things.

When you fish without discrimination, like, say, the Coronados or parts of Catalina, or parts of Anacapa, all of the urchin eaters are gone.

So urchins thrive. Especially the purps.

Urchins eat kelp holdfasts. So the Kelp is gone.

So you have acres (or miles) or urchin barren.

In move the brittle stars.

So you get acres (or miles) of creepy gold shag carpet.

Its not pretty. All you need to do is spend a day on Anacapa, do a couple of dives on each side of the island and you get a great idea of what kind of remarkable impact protecting these large predators from over fishing can have on a system. On one side you get creepy gold shag carpet, the other side you get lush kelp, abalone, lobsters, large fish in abundance, and clearer water.

So yeah - we have too many urchins.

In some places.

In other places, like these protected areas, we don't have too many urchins - we have just the right amount of urchins.

You don't need to look any further than Marineland in SoCal. The Bay folks pull out zillions (and I mean many, many thousands) of urchins from this very fished spot, and they seed kelp. The kelp thrives - even in this very fished place, but only because of the emergency urchin relocation program (EURP). If the urchins were left to do what they do in this very fished spot (read: no large sheephead, no large lobster, no real urchin eaters), it would look today like it did 4 years ago - an urchin-barren, kelpless pile of rocks.

So yeah - we got urchins.

But you have wolf eels. So there.





You have less fishing, better fishing regulations, more protected coastline, more non-commercially fished species that eat urchins (like the wolfies) and so your urchins are kept in check.


-Ken

 

[pacificgal]

Thanks, Ken.
I was kinda expecting to find morey's down there, didn't see any. Are they rare? I did see all sorts of neat stuff that probably bores the crap out of you, like those blue banded gobies and garibaldis. Wish we had those! Yeah, I know you guys are silly with them, don't they want to vacation north?

 

[Mo2vation]

Its rare to find a moray on Anacapa. Its hard to swing a dead cat without hitting one on Catalina. Especially in the park. They're all over. Same with Octos. You just gotta know where to look. Next time you're down we'll go to the Park. I can put you on an octo and a moray before you're halfway to your NDL.

We find Octos on Anacapa, but not often a Moray. Less often on Cruz - but I have shots of one. I believe I have a shot of a Moray on the So Side of Miguel - the only Moray I've ever seen there.

Look in holes, look for the red shrimp. You'll often see the shrimp before you see the Moray.

If you're getting a shot of one, things to get in the shot:

• The center row of teeth down the roof of their mouth
  
• The "Shreks" - these wacky nose protrusions
  
• Shrimp cleaning the Moray's teeth... always a fun shot
  
• A Moray with its mouth CLOSED
  
• 2 Moray's in the same hole
  
• A Moray OUT of it's hole
  
• A Moray feeding on a Blacksmith (they love Blacksmith)
  
• A Moray's head and tail in the same frame

Get all of those shots and you've been at it for awhile.




I love eels.


By the way - there is nothing about local diving that bores the crap out of me. Well, the litany of non-local legends that roll through here thinking they're all that, only to get washing machine'd in 2 feet of surf. Aside from that, nothing down here bores me. I love blue-banded gobys. Did you see his cuz, the zebra goby? Look among the spines of the black or red urchins in the deep holes - they have green eyes and have zebra stripes. Very skittish, but they're all over.

Garibaldi's rule. The iconic SoCal fish. I've taken thousands of pics of them. Love them! Was it Manos who called them "little orange New Yorkers"? Small, fiesty and all attitude.

I love it here.


-Ken

 

[JoyDivisi0n]

Because of fishing industry pressure, sea otters aren't allowed south of Pt. Conception. You would think they aren't protected by the endangered species act, but they are.

 

[Mo2vation]

Because of fishing industry pressure, sea otters aren't allowed south of Pt. Conception. You would think they aren't protected by the endangered species act, but they are.

What precisely does the fishing industry do to keep Sea Otters North of Pt C? Is there a Sea Otter reading program I'm not aware of? Quizes? Exams? Detention? Little belly mounted GPS units?

Are the ones I see in Oxnard hoodlums or recidivists?



-K

 

[TSandM]

Well, the litany of non-local legends that roll through here thinking they're all that, only to get washing machine'd in 2 feet of surf.

All right.

You are NOT to talk about me like that. Or I'll never come back and provide comic relief again.

 

[fnfalman]

I just did my first lake dive in Idaho at Lucky Peak Reservoir. The topography reminds me of the far side of Anacapa. All sand and rock, except no sea urchin. Actually, I didn't even see a living thing for the whole hour I was down there (big tank, shallow water).

 

[drbill]

What precisely does the fishing industry do to keep Sea Otters North of Pt C? Is there a Sea Otter reading program I'm not aware of? Quizes? Exams? Detention? Little belly mounted GPS units?

Are the ones I see in Oxnard hoodlums or recidivists?



-K

USF&W apparently has an agreement with the industry that limits sea otters in areas south of Pt. Conception to just those relocated to San Nicolas Island. The "fishing" industry was up in arms about possible decimation of target species that the otters prey upon.