Human impacts such as over-fishing, climate change and pollution are causing sea urchins to thrive, leading to the destruction of kelp and desertification of the sea floor in places. The dramatic worldwide loss of kelp forests means fewer safe birthing grounds for many species of fish. But marine eco-farmers Urchinomics are working to turn around this spiraling cycle of ecosystem degradation.
The humble but fast-growing sea kelp not only acts as a natural fish nursery, but also sequesters carbon and produces oxygen. Many health-giving food products can also be derived from kelp. Preserving kelp seems like a very wise idea, bearing in mind the already precarious state of our ocean environment and the ever-growing need for food sources. Drastically reducing the incidence of sea urchins is a major step towards protecting the kelp.
Fortunately the sea urchins are also regarded as a tasty and nutritious delicacy in many cultures. So with sites in North America, Europe and Japan, Urchinomics has been collecting up sea urchins in bulk and helping to remediate swathes of ocean habitat. The harvested urchins are placed in secure farms where they can safely grow and multiply. High value sea urchin food products ultimately end up generating income to support further bio-remediation. But perhaps the most exciting feature of this venture is that the process also generates voluntary blue carbon credits. This aspect has attracted strategic partnerships with Japanese industrial concerns such as INEOS and more recently NYK Shipping Line that have led to investment.
Serial “ecopreneur” and founder Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda is a graduate of Queens University, Ontario Canada. Queens is one of 15 publicly funded research universities in Canada and has produced several Nobel laureates. Controversial industrialist and SpaceX founder Elon Musk also happens to be a Queens alumnus.
Image credit: NOAA National Ocean Service via Creative Commons BY 2.0
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