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The Problem

A young Purple Sea Urchin munching on a piece of Macrocystis Pyrifera (Giant Kelp)

Sea Urchins destroying what used to be a healthy kelp forest.

Urchins removing the last bit of kelp off a once healthy reef.

A large Red Sea Urchin surrounded by smaller Purple Sea Urchins. Although these Red Urchins are quite large, the Purple Urchins are the main culprate in destroying kelp forests.

Purple Sea Urchins making their way up a holdfast of one of the last columns of Giant Kelp on this reef.

A starving Red Abalone searching for any bits of kelp to eat in an urchin barren off the Sonoma Coast.

An Ochre Sea Star, one of the few predators with the ability to prey on Purple Sea Urchins.

A Fish-Eating Anemone finds room to grow among a sea of Purple Sea Urchins.

Hoards of Purple Sea Urchins swarming a reef and competing for food (kelp) with two Red Abalone.

Two Red Abalone search for kelp to consume among Purple Urchins off the Mendocino Coast

Urchins stopping a Red Abalone from reaching some of the last kelp on a reef off the Southern Oregon Coast.

Kelp, Sea Urchins, and Abalone. A classic Mendocino Scene.

Red Abalone, Purple Urchins and a Leather Sea Star competing for space on a reef off the Mendocino Coast

A southern Mendocino reef overrun by Sea Urchins.

© 2020 by The Last Forests Project

THE LAST FORESTS PROJECT

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