Urchin: Red Sea, Green Sea

Red Sea Urchin, Green Sea Urchin

Uni

Red sea urchins are found in the Pacific Ocean from Baja, California to Alaska. Green sea urchins occur in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Red and green sea urchin are fished primarily for their gonads (reproductive organs) which are referred to by the culinary term “roe”. Urchin roe is a popular sushi item, sold under the Japanese name uni.

Both red and green sea urchins have a low age at maturity (< 5 years), an assumed high growth coefficient, are long lived (>30 years), and have a high reproductive potential (several million eggs per spawning event). Red sea urchins have a moderately limited range and green sea urchins have a broad range. Both species are considered inherently resilient to fishing pressure.

Overall, the red and green sea urchin stocks in B.C. appear to be in reasonably good health. The long-term trend in catch per unit effort (CPUE) for red sea urchins is variable, the short-term trend is flat, and the size distribution is unknown. The CPUE for green sea urchins is at similar levels to when the fishery began, the long-term trend is flat and the short-term trend is up. Stock status of green sea urchins in New Brunswick is difficult to ascertain because the fishery is data poor in terms of both biological and fishery information. Overall, these three stocks receive a rank of moderate.

Sea urchins are captured primarily via hand collection by SCUBA divers and because this method is highly selective, there is a low conservation concern associated with bycatch in urchin fisheries.

Dive or hand collection fisheries have very minimal, if any, direct impacts on the habitats. However, within kelp forest ecosystems, phase shifts have been noted as a direct result of commercial urchin fisheries, causing functional changes in recruitment. The effects of hand collection on habitats and ecosystems in the red and green urchin fisheries are moderate. Formerly, dragging accounted for a small portion of this fishery however, this gear type is no longer permitted.

The sea urchin fisheries in Canada all have fishery management plans that are updated on a regular basis. All three fisheries are limited entry and have quota systems. They also have specific fishing seasons, restrictions on gear types, defined fishing areas, and minimum size limits. These fisheries are also well-enforced and overall, all three have highly effective management systems.

Where is this urchin from? (Canada = Green, California = Yellow, or Maine = Red)

Contaminant levels do not warrant a consumption advisory.

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