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Old 03-14-2018, 03:30 PM   #1
matt mattison
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First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

I hope this is ok to post here,

Josh Russo and I have Scheduled the first official purple urchin removal event and 2018 Norcal Underwater Hunters Meet & GReet camp out May 26 & 27, 28 memorial weekend. We will camp or stay near ocean cove, that may be the dive site or it may be somewhere nearby depending on conditions. NorCal underwater hunters will be reserving a group site for this, and combine this great event with our annual meet and greet for more info check in at http://norcalunderwaterhunters.com/forum/index.php… Look to NorCal Underwater Hunters, NorCal Skin Divers, NorCal Kayakers, Keli’s Ocean Sports, Th Freedive Shop, Seals Watersports, Sonoma Coast Divers for more information. no promises but there may be a raffle or may not lol,The focus of this weekend is to meet and greet and remove urchins and have a fun time with some diving mixed in. For details and updates
http://norcalunderwaterhunters.com/f...;topicseen#new


For details and updates
http://norcalunderwaterhunters.com/f...;topicseen#new
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Last edited by matt mattison; 03-15-2018 at 11:23 AM.
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Old 03-15-2018, 03:52 PM   #2
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

Francesca M. Owings and some other PFI instructors have signed on as well as Red Triangle Spearfishing and the Monterey Bay Tritons Spearfishing Club.
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Old 03-16-2018, 12:04 PM   #3
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

Also we want to let everyone know anyone who comes is welcome to camp and join NCUH in our group site but everyone will responsible for their own camping fee's to ocean cove campground. It is starting to look like we will have huge turn out from dive clubs from all over ca free dive clubs and even scuba clubs. It is awesome to see the whole diving community come together on this.

We also have several dive shops supporting this event
Subsurface Progression in Fort Bragg
Sonoma Coast Divers in Rohnert Park
Red Triangle Spearfishing Petaluma
Seals Watersports and Dive Island
Harbor Dive Center in Sausalito
Freedive Shop Sacramento
Keli’s Ocean Sports Concord

Dive clubs
Norcal Underwater Hunters
Norcal Skin Divers
Monterey Bay Tritons
Aquatutus dive club
San Diego Free divers
CenCal
Francesca M. Owings and some other PFI instructors
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Old 03-30-2018, 04:49 PM   #4
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

Matt, you wrote on the other site: " Divers can either smash or harvest there legal limit and what that is is yet to be determined by the Ca DFW stay tuned."

I was curious what this meant. Is the urchin limit potentially changing? Not that I've ever taken more than 2 or 3, so the limit hasn't been significant to me in the past, just curious about this.
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Old 03-30-2018, 04:52 PM   #5
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

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Originally Posted by joshrau View Post
Matt, you wrote on the other site: " Divers can either smash or harvest there legal limit and what that is is yet to be determined by the Ca DFW stay tuned."

I was curious what this meant. Is the urchin limit potentially changing? Not that I've ever taken more than 2 or 3, so the limit hasn't been significant to me in the past, just curious about this.
as of right now the legal limit is 35 per a person but at this months upcoming meeting in April there is talks and good source they will increase the limit, rumor has it to 20 gallons per a diver but nothing has officially be changed yet. As thing progress and if the limit is increased I will post up. hope this answers your question
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Old 03-30-2018, 06:32 PM   #6
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

Curious...I believe I've eaten the eggs of these delicious things fresh off the dock when I visited CA. Do all have eggs? Are you guys eating them? I don't care if you are or not as I understand the reasons for which this hunt is predicated. I was just curious. They can be sold or I suppose that's only for persons that have paid all the licensing to the state in order to do such?
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Old 03-31-2018, 06:14 PM   #7
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

Quote:
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Curious...I believe I've eaten the eggs of these delicious things fresh off the dock when I visited CA. Do all have eggs? Are you guys eating them? I don't care if you are or not as I understand the reasons for which this hunt is predicated. I was just curious. They can be sold or I suppose that's only for persons that have paid all the licensing to the state in order to do such?
It’s gottrn so bad it’s almost pointless to even open them up. If you’re lucky enough to find any big enough to open, they’re usually empty or tiny, and taste like garbage.
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Old 03-31-2018, 07:14 PM   #8
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

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It’s gottrn so bad it’s almost pointless to even open them up. If you’re lucky enough to find any big enough to open, they’re usually empty or tiny, and taste like garbage.
Oh...wow. If'n you don't mind informing the ignorant, I'm curious as to their demise.
From my recollection when I visited a decade ago, I believe Santa Barbara, in which I observed many containers of urchins being brought upon the dock, that all were edible. The capt'n cracked open some fresh ones, fed them to us, and I was in love.
How does one even tell if they are the right sex and egg bearing? Why has the egg quality diminished? Is it even a desirable fishery giving their destructive nature of the kelp beds? Is this a propaganda post so that the fishery is destroyed? AGAIN, I care not for them if they are destroying habitats for other desirable fish. Trust me, we have our own problems with such in FL, like Lionfish.
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Old 03-31-2018, 11:29 PM   #9
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

I can snap some pictures next time I go out. If you can even see the roe it’s paper thin.

Most of them are ping pong ball sized, so even if they were fed they wouldn’t have anything in them.
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Old 04-01-2018, 11:37 AM   #10
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcus View Post
Oh...wow. If'n you don't mind informing the ignorant, I'm curious as to their demise.
From my recollection when I visited a decade ago, I believe Santa Barbara, in which I observed many containers of urchins being brought upon the dock, that all were edible. The capt'n cracked open some fresh ones, fed them to us, and I was in love.
How does one even tell if they are the right sex and egg bearing? Why has the egg quality diminished? Is it even a desirable fishery giving their destructive nature of the kelp beds? Is this a propaganda post so that the fishery is destroyed? AGAIN, I care not for them if they are destroying habitats for other desirable fish. Trust me, we have our own problems with such in FL, like Lionfish.
The urchins I think are still being commercially harvested in some areas, as far as I know.

The urchin population in Northern California has exploded in the last few years and eaten all the algae, due to the longest/strongest el nino in history. There are now large urchin carpets in some areas, where almost all rock surface is completely covered with small urchins. Since there is such a massive overpopulation, they are almost completely empty of the edible roe. I usually eat 2 or 3 after each dive. I used to pretty much grab the first 3 urchins I would see, which may have taken 2 or 3 dives to find. Now you dive down and see hundreds at a time, but have to search for those few big ones that are filled with eggs.

I don't think there is any "urchin demise," they've gone from being a common but sparse species in the kelp forests to being the dominant species in urchin barren, having eaten all the kelp. I think the hope is that the end of the el nino will bring them back under check. Hope is the operative word, those who study this don't seem certain we aren't past the tipping point, hence why we lost the abalone season, since the urchins ate all their food.


Matt, thanks for the update about the suggested regulation changes on urchins, I didn't know there was talk of that. It certainly seems like no harm will come from a higher limit, although I'm not sure how many people are going to be interested in actually harvesting that many urchins. They could always bring the limit back to what it currently is if the population stabilizes again and they become concerned with overharvesting.
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Old 04-30-2018, 04:56 PM   #11
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Re: First official purple urchin removal event&2018 NCUH Camp ou

for more up to date info click here : http://norcalunderwaterhunters.com/f...;topicseen#new

Memorial weekend may 26th & 27th 2018 NCUH meet and Greet camp out &l purple urchin removal Raffle fundraiser Update group site is full at this point there will Be overflow camping that ocean cove has offered to set us up with so still spots just pay your fees to ocean cove also give them a call and let the know your a part of this event. Which something they usually do not do but to help us out they are this time
here some pictures for the camping
[img width=337 height=600]https://i.imgur.com/vkUUuHw.png[/img]

Over flow camping area
[img width=800 height=600]https://i.imgur.com/dfKAwOI.jpg[/img]


As for the NCUH Raffle, tickets will be sold day of and yes you or a friend has to be present to pick you prize. Raffle will start about 4-4:30 pm saturday. Eric Mcbride and his team of cooks will be cooking during that time as well and will have some yummy food served.

As for the Urchin dive Saturday morning, contact Josh Russo for details, but what I know so far is we meet at 8am saturday morning for the pre dive meeting.

Huge shout out to all that have donated so far to the Norcal Underwater Hunters Urchin removal raffle fundraiser !!!! Hopefully more to come

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