Tons of nutrient runoff into the coastline means certain beings will thrive: algae, jellyfish, and apparently urchins. We’re lucky the other substances in runoff aren’t doing even more damage.
The question I’d like to know is: why is uni still so expensive at sushi restaurants?
These purple urchin are a lot smaller than the commonly harvested red urchin, resulting in less uni. Even the urchin are starving due to overpopulation and loss of kelp.
There are only about 100 commercial operators along the California coast that are licensed to harvest and sell them. That number used to be around 500 and they have been winnowing the licenses down year over year.
The question I’d like to know is: why is uni still so expensive at sushi restaurants?