Purple urchin has overrun kelp forests, commercial divers and conservationists have have joined forces to restore the North Coast’s marine ecosystem

Note: Lana Cohen is a Report For America fellow covering the environment & natural resources for TMV & KZYX. Her position is funded by the Community Foundation of Mendocino, Report for America, & our readers. You can support Lana’s work here or email publisher@mendovoice.com. Contact Cohen at LCohen@mendovoice.com. TMV maintains editorial control.

FORT BRAGG, 8/10/20 — Fort Bragg resident Patrick Downie has been diving for red urchin for 40 years. When he started, the industry was a lucrative one, offering a job he felt lucky to have, where he could make enough money to live comfortably and have a little extra to save. Now, he is barely hanging on, making as much as he is spending to keep up with maintenance on his boat and dive gear. He’s considering heading south, where red urchins are more abundant, changing fisheries, or selling his boat. But he doesn’t want to do any of these things. He loves North Coast urchin diving, which he considers more of a lifestyle than a job, and hopes to pass his boat down to his son, Grant Downie, who is also a red urchin diver.