Found in the Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Baja, California, the Red Sea Urchin prefers shallow waters without extreme waves, sand, or mud.  Varied in color from red to dark burgundy, its spherical body is completely covered by sharp spines which it uses to crawl along the sea floor.  With special jaws located on the bottom of their hard shell, they live on a diet of seaweed, kelp, and algae.  These echinoderms are close relatives to sea stars and sea cucumbers.  Young Sea Urchins must hide from potential predators, and many will seek shelter under the spines of adults. Red Sea Urchins are harvested for their reproductive organs, or “roe,” of eggs or sperm.  Processors remove the roe from the animals and place it in shallow trays for export to Japan. It must arrive fresh as it is consumed raw, especially as a garnish for sushi.  Managers have controlled fishing efforts to limit harvesting until more is known about local stocks.