A warm blob (is this what the oceanographers are calling it? This is what the KQED journalists are calling it)…a blob of warm water moving through the Pacific is killing off sea stars, which eat Purple Sea Urchin, which in turn eat Kelp…leading to a massive plague of Purple Sea Urchin and the decimation of Kelp forests off the coasts of California and Oregon. As we know, Kelp is great–it’s a habitat for fish, it creates oxygen, sequesters carbon, everything good. And the Purple Sea Urchin are starving.
Responding to this, a group called Urchinomics is working with UC Davis to prototype urchin farms, which they hope in turn will create a market for Purple Sea Urchins, a common delicacy in Japan, and a perennially popular item on sushi menus. If the urchins can be gathered and farmed, kelp will return, and kelp , unlike trees, regrow quickly. If the urchins are removed, the kelp forests can rebound in six months. The delicious “Uni on a Spoon” that we eat at nearby restaurants is delicious, and it is pricy: there is value in the urchins. Can we help the kelp?
Taking Action:
– Are you or do you know any chefs and restaurant owners who could develop some sea urchin recipes for their restaurant?
– Preserve Purple Sea Urchin, say, can it be canned? Then it could be used as a sauce. There is a fantastic Purple Sea Urchin pasta served at a great restaurant in our neighborhood, Rich Table. Let’s all eat that.
– Develop recipes for consumer packaged goods/
– Eat Purple Sea Urchin when you can! Let’s hope the price is declining!
Any other ideas? Please post in the comments.
Caterina.net 