The California Sea Urchin Commission Uses Grant Funding to Help the Industry

In October of 2021, the California Sea Urchin Commission (CSUC) received a grant from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) in partnership with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), after they issued a request for proposal for grants to fund projects that investigate ways to improve resiliency in California’s urchin fisheries and mitigate the effects of kelp loss. The marketing of sea urchins was listed in the criteria to be awarded funding.    The CSUC does not catch sea urchins nor sell them. Instead, they represent and promote the industry to the public and the government.    Dave Colker, a California Sea Urchin Commissioner, applied for the grant and was awarded funding to increase the marketing of the sea urchin industry. Colker focused on improving the traffic to the California Sea Urchin Commission website and updating the website with relevant industry information by hiring a website designer and a data analysis firm and chose to advertise in the Log.   “The grant runs through June of 2024, and I expect to see an increase in usage of our website and hopefully an increase of overall purchases of sea urchins from processors and divers, who sell directly to...