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Getting Purple Sea Urchins Out Of California Waters

One day's worth of urchin harvest. (Claire Stremple/KALW)
One day's worth of urchin harvest. (Claire Stremple/KALW)

Purple sea urchins are spiny underwater invertebrates that look like pin cushions. They’re native to the ocean along the California coast, but their population has grown out of control recently. A band of divers is organizing an effort to restore balance to the ecosystem.

KALW reporter Claire Stremple (@clairestremple)went out on the water with divers removing purple urchins by the boatload.

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