Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
Hi urchin divers!
Pete was kind enough to give us (the PURP team) our own forum to discuss anything related to our purple urchin removal efforts in Northern California to help restore the dwindling kelp forests.
Here we can feel free to discuss at length anything related to our work, the finer points of urchin collecting, dive sites, our progress, tools, gear, techniques, you name it!
If you have any questions about anything you can start a thread, or chime in on existing threads.
You will still get text alerts, and emails sent from www.sealswatersports.com, but this is a convenient and valuable discussion place that we can all benefit from.
I figured scubaboard would be a great place to set up an open forum.
Plus there’s a LOT of very usefull information on the rest of scubaboard too!
So here we go…
The short of it:
As most people know, there is a huge purple urchin problem happening on the north coast of California. Due to several negative environmental events, the purple urchin population has exploded and they are overgrazing vast areas causing urchin barrens. The bull kelp has all but disappeared, the numbers are down 95% of normal levels. The kelp decline a major concern and some are calling it a major environmental disaster on par with the decline of the Amazon Rainforest. Kelp is a key component to absorb CO2 and address climate change. In fact kelp is one of the biggest absorbers of CO2. The kelp canopy is also a critical component for fish and a multitude of other marine life to live in and to thrive. In short, without kelp we are in serious trouble!
The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife has increased the limit of purple urchins up to 40 gallons of whole purple urchins per day per person, (or about 150 lbs.) to help combat this problem.
I took on Stillwater Cove as my pet project about three years ago and soon realized that if I was to succeed in clearing enough urchins to see kelp return that I would need help. That’s when I formed PURP, the Purple Urchin Removal Project.
I gathered up a group of volunteer divers and we are working Stillwater Cove exclusively right now. Our goal is to clear enough purple urchins to create a safe haven for kelp to re-grow and to form a kelp sanctuary or kelp farm that can produce spores that will broadcast to other areas of the coast. To try and get all the purple urchins under control on the entire coast is not a reality, but if we can save pockets of kelp then we can stand a good chance of making sure bull kelp doesn’t completely collapse and go extinct.
Once we see kelp return then we will continue to protect it and maintain it.
As long as this imbalance is in play we will continue to be there doing our work.
Right now we are working within CA DFW recreational rules and regulations.
If all this sounds like something that piques your interest, please get involved!
We need all the help we can get.
We can’t rely on state government or someone else to fix this problem. It is up to us citizens, we need to act!
And we can do it!
Thank you.
Pete was kind enough to give us (the PURP team) our own forum to discuss anything related to our purple urchin removal efforts in Northern California to help restore the dwindling kelp forests.
Here we can feel free to discuss at length anything related to our work, the finer points of urchin collecting, dive sites, our progress, tools, gear, techniques, you name it!
If you have any questions about anything you can start a thread, or chime in on existing threads.
You will still get text alerts, and emails sent from www.sealswatersports.com, but this is a convenient and valuable discussion place that we can all benefit from.
I figured scubaboard would be a great place to set up an open forum.
Plus there’s a LOT of very usefull information on the rest of scubaboard too!
So here we go…
The short of it:
As most people know, there is a huge purple urchin problem happening on the north coast of California. Due to several negative environmental events, the purple urchin population has exploded and they are overgrazing vast areas causing urchin barrens. The bull kelp has all but disappeared, the numbers are down 95% of normal levels. The kelp decline a major concern and some are calling it a major environmental disaster on par with the decline of the Amazon Rainforest. Kelp is a key component to absorb CO2 and address climate change. In fact kelp is one of the biggest absorbers of CO2. The kelp canopy is also a critical component for fish and a multitude of other marine life to live in and to thrive. In short, without kelp we are in serious trouble!
The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife has increased the limit of purple urchins up to 40 gallons of whole purple urchins per day per person, (or about 150 lbs.) to help combat this problem.
I took on Stillwater Cove as my pet project about three years ago and soon realized that if I was to succeed in clearing enough urchins to see kelp return that I would need help. That’s when I formed PURP, the Purple Urchin Removal Project.
I gathered up a group of volunteer divers and we are working Stillwater Cove exclusively right now. Our goal is to clear enough purple urchins to create a safe haven for kelp to re-grow and to form a kelp sanctuary or kelp farm that can produce spores that will broadcast to other areas of the coast. To try and get all the purple urchins under control on the entire coast is not a reality, but if we can save pockets of kelp then we can stand a good chance of making sure bull kelp doesn’t completely collapse and go extinct.
Once we see kelp return then we will continue to protect it and maintain it.
As long as this imbalance is in play we will continue to be there doing our work.
Right now we are working within CA DFW recreational rules and regulations.
If all this sounds like something that piques your interest, please get involved!
We need all the help we can get.
We can’t rely on state government or someone else to fix this problem. It is up to us citizens, we need to act!
And we can do it!
Thank you.
