Species profile
Red Sea Urchin
Mesocentrotus franciscanus
At a glance
Red Sea Urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) is an echinoderm regulated in 2 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
The strictest bag limit is 10 (Oregon); the most generous is 18 (Washington).
Confirmed by 4,534 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with California, British Columbia, and Washington the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Some individuals have been aged at over 200 years, making them among Earth's longest-lived animals.
- They can grow to 7 inches in diameter — the largest sea urchin species in North America.
- The edible gonads, called uni, are a prized sushi delicacy harvested along the Pacific coast.
- Spines can reach 3 inches in length and serve both as defense and as walking stilts.
- They range from Alaska to Baja California, primarily in rocky subtidal and kelp forest habitats.
Where Red Sea Urchin are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Red Sea Urchin
Background
The red sea urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) is a sea urchin found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Baja California. It lives in shallow waters from the low-tide line to greater than 100 m (330 ft) deep, and is typically found on rocky shores sheltered from extreme wave action.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Red 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.