Sea Urchin, Red – California
Red Sea Urchins, members of the phylum Echinodermata (“spiny skin”), are found along the North American Pacific coastline from Alaska to Cedros Island, in Baja California, Mexico. They can live for 50 to over 100 years, but they reproduce at a young age and release millions of eggs at a time.
Red Sea Urchins in California are overfished. They are hand-caught by divers so bycatch is minimal with no damage to the habitat.
Sea Urchins graze kelp (a type of seaweed) and are eaten by many animals like sea otters, and therefore are an important link in the marine ecosystem.