Relationships among lobster catch (a proxy for lobster abundance), urchins, and macroalgae.

<p>Lobster catch [legal-sized (≥83 mm carapace length) lobsters only] in number of individuals caught in traps km⁻², urchin density, and total macroalgal biomass at each of the eight sites from 2001–2008. Macroalgae consisted of non-calcareous species, including giant kelp <i>Macrocystis pyrifera</i>. Data for lobster catch were not recorded in 2005 for Goleta Bay, and in 2001 and 2002 for Carpinteria Reef. Note the differences in scale for urchin density at Carpinteria Reef.