Researchers across the EU are improving sea urchin farming in response to an increased demand for sea urchin roe as a delicacy and to the need of preserving wild populations.
Due to the explosive increase in sushi popularity in addition to the regional and well historically established sea urchin harvesting in some Mediterranean regions, wild sea urchin populations have become overfished. For farmed sea urchins to meet this demand, knowledge and technology relating to sea urchin aquaculture need to be developed further.
Further details: Sea urchin sushi: an EU aquaculture challenge