TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s Penghu Islands have experienced a dramatic reduction in the number of wild sea urchins, leading the Penghu County Government to undertake more conservation efforts such as monitoring and limiting wild harvests as well as encouraging farm-based cultivation.
Penghu County Government Magistrate Chen Guangfu (陳光復) traveled to several aquaculture farms to learn more about the sustainable development of sea urchins on Tuesday (Oct 29), per CNA. Chen said Penghu's wild sea urchins are not only known for their delicious taste but they are also important to the ecology of intertidal zones.
Chen visited one aquaculture farm located in Penghu’s Magong which has been cooperating with Chiayi University to develop a breeding tank for sea urchins. He was accompanied by Penghu Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau Director Chen Kau-liang (陳高樑), who said the farm has achieved eight months of stable breeding operations.
After viewing the aquaculture tanks, Chen put farm-grown sea urchins to a taste test, praising the sea urchins as "sweet and delicious." Fresh sea urchins can command a good price at local markets, with large ones fetching NT$400 (US$12.50), creating an opportunity for high-end aquaculture.
Chen said wild stocks of Penghu's distinctive purple and white spine sea urchin, known commonly as the “collector urchin” or “horse dung urchin” (Tripneustes gratilla), have dropped significantly each year. To ensure the sustainability of the local sea urchin fishery, the county government only permits its harvest from July 1- Aug. 31.
Penghu's prohibition on sea urchin harvests outside of these two summer months has created an opportunity for aquaculture farms to produce sea urchins for consumers and restaurants that want them year-round. For this purpose, municipal officials have pledged resources and support farm-based sea urchin cultivation.
One of the first actions undertaken by Penghu County’s Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau to support sea urchin breeding has been the legalization of the sea urchin breeding and cultivation industry. The bureau commented there are 16 legal sea urchin farms in Penghu, including three sea urchin nurseries, eight land-based sea urchin farms, and five offshore sea urchin farms.
