Species profile
Pacific Purple Sea Urchin
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
At a glance
Pacific Purple Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) is an echinoderm regulated in 6 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
The strictest bag limit is 12 (British Columbia); the most generous is 40 (California).
Confirmed by 16,755 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with California, British Columbia, and Oregon the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Uses its teeth and spines to grind permanent bowl-shaped depressions into solid rock.
- Can live over 30 years, with some individuals documented past 50 years of age.
- Ranges from Alaska south to Baja California along rocky Pacific shorelines.
- When predators are absent, overabundant urchins can create vast algae-free urchin barrens.
- Its five interlocking teeth form a structure called Aristotle's lantern — self-sharpening and remarkably strong.
Where Pacific Purple Sea Urchin are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Pacific Purple Sea Urchin
Background
The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, lives along the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean extending from Ensenada, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada. This sea urchin species is deep purple in color, eggs are orange when secreted in water, and lives in lower inter-tidal and nearshore sub-tidal communities. January, February, and March function as the typical active reproductive…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Pacific Purple Sea Urchin article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other starfish/urchins/cucumbers on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.