HEALING SEA COUNTRY
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o Investigate the impacts of overharvesting, population decline, and recovery on marine ecosystems.
o Identify risks of continued harvesting when sea urchin populations are declining.
o Explain how harvesting pressure affects both sea urchin populations and ecosystems over time.
o Describe trade-offs between short-term income and long-term sustainability.
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o Define key terms accurately, including bycatch, hand harvesting and over-harvesting.
o Identify ecological and human factors affecting sea urchin populations (e.g. ecosystem impacts, demand, illegal fishing).
o Explain why sustainability is important for both ecosystems and people.
o Propose at least one realistic management rule or action that balances ecological health and livelihoods and justify their recommendation using evidence from the lesson.
o Explain how a decision supports sustainability for both people and ecosystems.
sustainable SEAFOOD
In some places around the world, sea urchin populations have exploded, causing significant ecological damage. In contrast, other areas face the opposite issue: over-harvesting has drastically reduced sea urchin numbers.
Sea urchins are primarily harvested by hand, making it one of the most sustainable fishing methods. This approach eliminates bycatch, the accidental capture of unintended species, and avoids damaging the seafloor, helping to protect marine habitats.
However, even the most careful harvesting can become unsustainable if too many sea urchins are removed from the ecosystem. Their economic and nutritional importance has also fuelled illegal fishing, further reducing their populations in some parts of the world.
Drag and Drop: Sea Urchin Harvesting
Drag the three key terms into the matching definitions.
Bycatch
Hand harvesting
Over-harvesting
1) The accidental capture of unintended species.
2) Collecting sea urchins by hand, with low impact on habitats.
3) Removing too many sea urchins, reducing the population and ecosystem function.
24. Why can sea urchin harvesting still become a problem, even when it is done carefully by hand?
25. After watching the video above, use the information you learned to answer the questions below:
Quick Quiz: Sea Urchins, Culture and Harvesting
Answer the questions based on the video you watched. Choose the best answer for each.
Harvest decisions
You are advising a coastal community that relies on sea urchins for food and income. The situation is as follows:
Sea urchin numbers are declining
Demand from buyers remains high
Jobs depend on harvesting
26. You are now the decision-maker for a sea urchin fishery. Use what you’ve learned to answer the questions below.
a) What is one risk of continuing to harvest at current levels?
b) What is one benefit of slowing or limiting the harvest?
c) What is one rule or action you would recommend to balance ecology and livelihoods?
Self Reflection: How am I going?
Think about today’s learning from White Rock. For each success criteria, choose a traffic light.
🟢 Confident · 🟡 Getting there · 🔴 Still working on it