RED SEA URCHIN FISHERY OPENED AUGUST 1

Vancouver - Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced today that the red sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) commercial fishery on the Pacific coast has begun.  The total allowable catch (TAC) for red sea urchin has again been set at 4,886 tonnes (10,771,530 lbs.) for the 2004/2005 fishing season.  The TAC for this fishery has remained unchanged since 2000.

The directed commercial fishery for red sea urchin runs from August 1 to July 31 each year.  All harvest is conducted by diving and handpicking.  There are 110 licence eligibilities for this fishery. 

This fishery continues to be a valuable species in the BC commercial fishery, with landed value reaching approximately $8 million in 2003.  The majority of the product is processed for export to Japanese markets.

The red sea urchin commercial dive fishery began in the 1970s and has grown rapidly since 1982.  The fishery continues to be managed in a precautionary manner that includes limited entry licensing, area licensing, a minimum size limit to allow several spawning years prior to harvest, a precautionary fixed exploitation rate of two to three percent of estimated biomass, area quotas and an individual quota (IQ) program.  The IQ system has resulted in a safer, more viable, year-round fishery. 

The recreational catch daily limit for red sea urchin is 12, with a possession limit of 24.  Harvesting is only permitted by handpicking in the recreational fishery.  First Nations also harvest red sea urchins for food, social and ceremonial purposes.

Red sea urchins are found from Baja California to Alaska.  It is the largest of five species of sea urchins found in British Columbia waters.  These invertebrates vary in colour, between a solid red and dark burgundy, and crawl slowly over the ocean floor using their spines like stilts.  Red sea urchins commonly occur on rocky substrates in shallow water areas of moderate to strong currents.  Typically, the red sea urchin is found in the intertidal zones to depths of 50 metres, although some individuals occur as deep as 125 metres.

Coastwide, red sea urchin stocks continue to appear to be healthy.  The fishery is managed conservatively and, apart from a few areas that have been closed or quotas reduced due to population decline, stock abundance is generally good.  The continued precautionary management approach ensures the Department meets its conservation goals for this stock. 

The long-term goal of the Department is to develop a biologically-based management regime through a better understanding of the resource.  This will be accomplished through a collaborative process involving First Nations, the commercial industry and others with an interest in the resource.

Joint stock assessment activities carried out by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association (PUHA) and First Nations continue coast-wide through biomass surveys, experimental harvest sites and selected study sites.  The main survey goals are to better understand the growth and recruitment patterns of red sea urchins and adjust quotas if necessary.  Scientific research and the joint stock assessment activities are important to this fishery as it moves from a precautionary management regime towards a biologically-based fishery.

An agreement between Fisheries and Oceans Canada and PUHA provides for joint research, stock assessment, management, and enforcement activities.  The Department is committed to manage fisheries in a sustainable manner for today and for future generations.

- 30 -

For more information:

Michelle Imbeau
Communications Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
604-666-2872