Uni For Dinner Tonight

Jon Sears lives in Florida, but we get to spend some time with him a couple of times per year when he is operating his Sea Urchin/Sea Cucumber Dive Fishery. He has a nice Radon Boat (of course), and he dives using a hookah dive system. Whenever we are in the mood for sushi, food is fresh for the taking here!

Jon Sears and Urchin

Tonight we're in the mood for uni, so Jon just brings a few of them home to sample.

Sea Urchin in Jon's Hand

Fun urchin facts... This animal's sharp spines spear food and protect the urchin from predators. Between the spines are hundreds of tiny, sticky, tube feet. Using their spines and teeth, urchins burrow slowly into solid rock. Because they grow as they dig, they sometimes end up trapped in holes, where they're stuck waiting for food to drift their way.

Gigi and Urchins

The Radon Boat you see in the background is not Jon's boat. Jon's is a bit bigger, and it has a cabin.

Gigi, Bonzo, and Urchins

Bonzo doesn't like uni. He would rather have chicken and rice. But, the urchins are still alive and moving, so they are interesting to watch. The urchins are still alive and moving when Jon cracks them open. How mean you are, Jon!

Jon Preparing Urchins

Check out my sticky tube feet... An urchin's soft feet are always busy. Some hold the urchin to rocks, while others pass kelp and other food to its mouth. An urchin also "breathes" through its tube feet — that is where gases are exchanged, instead of in gills or lungs.

Got kelp? Urchins love to eat kelp. Sometimes they eat so much that they destroy the kelp beds. But, sea otters love to eat urchins. A healthy sea otter population prevents the number of urchins from growing too large, and helps keep the kelp forest healthy. The black stuff inside the urchin is the kelp. The orange stuff is what we eat.

Closeup of Inside Urchin