Why do we have an Urchin Crisis in Monterey?
Stunning new video by Coriolis Films about G2KR
Stunning new video by Coriolis Films about G2KR
Sea urchins have already eaten much of the Kelp Forest of Monterey Peninsula and beyond. Why are there so many urchins? Sea stars are major predators of urchins. Beginning in 2013, Sea Star Wasting Disease caused a massive die-off of sea stars on the west coast. From 2014-16, an exceptionally warm water blob hugged the west coast, inhibiting kelp growth. Purple urchin populations exploded to up to five hundred times their normal numbers. They quickly ate all of their normal diet of seaweed scraps, and began to attack living kelp.
Stunning new video by Coriolis Films about G2KR
Stunning new video by Coriolis Films about G2KR
Stunning new video by Coriolis Films about G2KR
This beautifully crafted, 12 minute video was generously created by Coriolis Films for the Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project. It explains the root causes of the Monterey Bay sea urchin explosion and what our project is doing to remove urchins and restore kelp forests.
Watch for a feature-length documentary on the plight of kelp forests by Coriolis Films in the coming months.
Stunning new video by Coriolis Films about G2KR
Please help get the Urchin culling & Kelp restoration Petition passed.
Petition summary: Allows recreational divers with CA fishing licenses to collect 40 gallons of urchins each day from
Lovers Cove State Marine Reserve and Tanker’s Reef in Monterey. The goal is to reduce urchin populations to their normal, sustainable level so that kelp forests can re-grow. Learn more about Petition 2020-001 >