Writer and chef Joseph Ogilvy heads to the intertidal zone in search of the umami-rich delicacy that's mowing down California's kelp forests.

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This article is part of a series of stories about hunting , fishing , and foraging experiences across North America . Joseph Ogilvy is the author of Tin Can Coast , published in July 2026.

It’s low tide, not long after dawn, and we’re about to disturb the tide pools of a small Sonoma cove in a hunt for sea urchin. Our group of would-be foragers are in Sea Ranch , a couple hours north of San Francisco , on the tough end of the California coast, where fog-pressed hills tumble into the Pacific.…