Solutions

Organizations Acting to Address the Issue

One of the biggest projects currently undergoing along the California coastline is the Kelp Forest Restoration Project by The Bay Foundation. The goal they have is to reduce the number of purple urchins from 40 per meter to just two. As of now, the Foundation has accomplished restoring 21 acres of kelp forest in four separate coves with the assistance of four commercial fisherman and 35 volunteer divers spending 3400 hours underwater restoring the kelp. They have now reduced the average of 36 purple urchins per square meter to only 2 per square meter.  

One of the main points they make is that volunteer divers go out and must hammer the urchin very thoroughly. This is so divers behind them won’t waste their time trying to hammer an urchin that has already been taken care of by another diver. Time and efficiency are vital when it comes to this. Another important tip is to make sure you take the ones out at the bottom of the rock first as opposed to the top. This is due to the fact that if you hammer the ones at the top, the debris from them will obscure the ones still living on the rock. Another project sponsored by the Coast Keeper Alliance did restoration work from Ventura County to San Diego County utilizing a different technique. In Orange County, kelp forests have definitely rebounded but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

These efforts are already beginning to reverse the effects of urchin population surges and hopefully will reestablish healthy kelp forests that provide food and habitat for many species. This project is truly making advancements in order to maintain biodiversity and taking action on urchin populations.