With support from the Julia R. Brown Education and Research Fund, Marine Biodiversity and Conservation student Linnea Bird created Urchinloop.com and led a community art and outreach event in San Diego to raise awareness about kelp loss and the role of purple urchins in blocking recovery. Her project explores how urchin byproducts can be repurposed through business, design, and art to support restoration and reduce waste. By combining marine conservation with creative public engagement, Linnea is helping connect local communities to the future of California’s kelp forests.
Kelp forests are critical for California’s biodiversity, coastal economy, overall beauty and the long-term vitality of its marine ecosystems. With a massive reduction in kelp biomass due to climate change impacts and loss of essential species, purple urchins have overpopulated, preventing kelp recovery and reducing local biodiversity.
Additionally, large quantities of “waste” is associated with both the removal of purple urchins and the commercial urchin fisheries after processing for uni. Entrepreneurs and artists are repurposing this “waste” associated with the urchin biomass removed from conservation and fisheries activities through innovative solutions and circular economic principles.
This project aims to support a long-term restoration model by highlighting urchin byproduct innovation and art. Consumers are more aware of the environmental impacts of businesses and many are willing to pay more for a sustainably sourced product that contributes to long-term conservation1. Furthermore, increased demand for urchin-based products could create a new commercial fishery in California specifically targeting the removal of purple urchins.
My deliverable, Urchinloop.com, a consumer-facing website highlighting businesses in the urchin space, aims to increase public awareness, while giving consumers 24/7 access to businesses and artists that are involved in marine conservation and urchin “waste” reduction. Additionally, the resource provides case studies of unique avenues based on global research to valorize urchin “waste”, agriculture, human health and creativity, to inspire future urchin innovation.
The Julia R. Brown grant funded an additional community engagement component of this research. On May 2nd, I hosted a booth at Forms Ceramics Art Market in Pacific Beach, San Diego, highlighting the impacts of kelp loss and barriers to restoration along the Northern California coast. The booth reached over 120 community members, many whom had limited prior knowledge on the conservation concern and long-term ecological impacts.
Grant funding supported booth materials, a ceramics membership to test various methods of incorporating sea urchin material into ceramic pieces and firing costs, allowing each participant to create their own piece of art using urchin-infused clay at no cost. Once all pieces were fired and glazed, participants collected their work and continued the conversation beyond the event. One participant at the event was a 4th grade teacher. She mentioned, “I had no idea sea urchins were a problem. I will use this piece of art to talk about this issue with my students.”
Art offers a unique, interdisciplinary avenue for science communication and can meaningfully increase public awareness of and support for kelp restoration efforts.
This experience gave me a new perspective on the knowledge gap surrounding kelp restoration in San Diego. After spending time on the North Coast of California, where over 90% of kelp biomass has been lost, I observed the community’s strong foundational understanding of the issue due to its direct impacts on their local economy. Increased education and community involvement in San Diego could similarly translate into greater action and support for restoration. The ceramic urchin pieces created at the event may play a small but meaningful role in bridging that gap.
This work has deepened my long-term commitment to understanding, advocating for and educating others about kelp ecosystems. Kelp loss is occurring globally and restoration efforts are critical to stabilizing coastal economies, supporting biodiversity and buffering the impacts of climate change.
Visit Urchinloop.com
1. Gomes, S., Lopes, J. M., & Nogueira, S. (2023). Willingness to pay more for green products: A critical challenge for Gen Z. Journal of Cleaner Production, 390, 136092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136092
Blog content and images provided by Linnea Bird – thank you!