As local divers swim through the barren sea beds, the damage from sea urchins cannot be ignored. For years, these native marine animals have been a plague on our local ecosystem, creating a chain of ripple effects from the roots of lively kelp forests to Ventura Country’s shoreline.

Experienced diver, surfer, spear-fisherman and sophomore at Buena Kolton Hebert has noticed this phenomenon. 

“I’ve seen spots [off-shore of the Channel Islands] that are way overloaded with urchins and barely any kelp.” 

Since 1977, the sea otter population has been endangered due to overhunting, and with the drastic decline of natural predators for the pacific purple sea urchin, they have become severely overpopulated. Since the early 2000’s, the urchin population has expanded unchecked, and has run rampant,  impacting crucial parts of the marine ecosystem, such as the kelp forests. As the kelp forests stand, swaying with the currents, sea urchins begin to feed on the roots of the kelp, then repopulate increasing their numbers on the seafloor, eventually leaving it lifeless with stumps of kelp and a graveyard of sea urchins.

“When I do see kelp, it’s really short and looks like it’s been eaten before and is trying to grow back,” Hebert said.

Retired Park peace officer who wishes to remain unnamed also vocalized the importance of giving power to State Environmental Programs.

 “They know what they’re doing. It’s important to keep a balance in an environment so fragile such as our kelp forests,” the officer said. 

Kelp forests have multiple roles in our local marine ecosystem, from buffering waves along the shore to being the habitat that sea otters, shellfish, and our state fish, the garibaldi call home. Kelp is  nutrient-dense for the animals that feed off of the blades, as they absorb nitrogen in the seawater. 

Kelp forests have also become part of the movement towards ecosystem-based ocean farming, where farmers harvest kelp and build eco-friendly fisheries.  The preservation of underwater forests is essential in sustainable progression towards environmentally-conscious marine industries.

Local surfside fisherman gathered on Seaward Avenue,  Sunday, Feb. 23, for their quarterly fishing competition. Local waterman, Daniel Ambriz, said, “we’ve heard about the effects of the sea urchins on local kelp forests” and the various consequential effects on the surf. Since the kelp is a contributing factor to the conditions onshore, it’s become relevant to Ventura County residents who rely on the ocean as a resource. 

“I know it’s happening locally, as I fish right here in Ventura County, ranging from Oxnard to this spot here [in Pierpont],” Ambriz said.

So the problem lies, what do we do about sea urchins? Some news outlets such as The Guardian suggest simply smashing the suckers. As other predators decrease in population, we can increase our consumption of them to keep things in balance. There are other options as well, such as reintroducing predators back into the ecosystem. In short, dropping a boatload of sea otters into the ocean. So how can you help? Well, you may not be able to fund the exportation of sea otters onto our beaches. It’s easy to try a new food, so eat some uni! 

While Hebert doesn’t personally like to eat them, he and his father do have experience hunting them, which has been a reportedly easy effort.

“[The sea urchins] aren’t really connected to anything on the bottom, so you can pretty much just grab them,” Hebert said.