Sea Urchin Aquaculture in Scotland

Scotland is unusual among nations with active research programs into sea urchin cultivation, in that despite having native edible species, there has not been a major fishery for sea urchins in recent times. Sea urchin aquaculture research is conducted by two laboratories in Scotland: since 1995 at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban and more recently at Ardtoe Marine Laboratory (AML). SAMS has worked on larval culture methods, artificial diets, gonad enhancement, and grow out methods for Psammechinus miliaris, Echinus esculentus, and Paracentrotus lividus and conducted detailed studies of diet, gonadal fatty acid profiles, and carotenoid content. Over the years funding for the research has come from a wide variety of sources, including local and national government and the European Commission (EC). SAMS and AML work in partnership with local companies, mostly small to medium sized enterprises, and collaborate with researchers across Europe and globally.