World Aquaculture March 2019

50 MARCH 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG Offshore Cultivation Trial In July 2018, IPMA started a trial of offshore sea urchin cultivation off the south coast of Portugal. Nearly 4,000 approximately one-year old sea urchins were placed in boxes suspended on longlines that are usually used to produce mussels. The purpose of this test was to evaluate the potential of offshore production and compare the survival, growth and quality at different depths and densities. The animals were fed regularly with macroalgae Ulva spp. (Fig. 10) and corn grain. Preliminary results were promising, with low mortality and fine growth so far. In less than four months, the average diameter of sea urchins increased from 2.3 to 3.0 cm, and weight nearly doubled. Through the results obtained in these pilot tests, it will be possible to develop technologies and methodologies for a future production of sea urchins on a commercial scale in Portugal. Notes Ana Mendes, João Araújo, Florbela Soares, Narcisa Bandarra and Pedro Pousão-Ferreira, IPMA – Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere; EPPO – Aquaculture Research Center, Av. 5 de Outubro s/n, 8700-305 Olhão, Portugal Dr. Márcia Santos and Dr. Maurício Namora are thanked for their important contribution to this work. This work was carried out as part of the project DIVERSIAQUA (Mar2020 16-02-01-FMP- 0066). References Bertocci, I., R. Dominguez, I. Machado, C. Freitas, J. Domínguez Godimo, I. Sousa-Pinto, M. Gonçalves and M.B. Gaspoar. 2014. Multiple effects of harvesting on populations of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in north Portugal. Fisheries Research 150:60-65. Bourouresque, C.F. and M. Verlaque. 2013. Sea Urchin, Paracentrotus lividus . Pages 297-327 In : J.M. Lawrence, editor. Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology, Third Edition. Academic Press, Cambridge, MA, USA. Carboni, S., M.S. Kelly, A.D. Hughes, J. Vignier, T. Atack and H. Migaud. 2014. Evaluation of ow through culture technique for commercial production of sea urchin ( Paracentrotus lividus ) larvae. Aquaculture Research 45:768-772. Cirino, P., M. Ciarovolo, A. Paglialonga and A. Toscano. 2017. Long- termmaintenance of the sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus, in culture. Aquaculture Reports 7:27-33. Cyrus, M.D., J.J. Bolton, R. Scholtz and B.M. Macey. 2015. The advantages of Ulva (Chlorophyata) as an additive in sea urchin formulated feeds: effects on palatability, consumption and digestibility. Aquaculture Nutrition 21:578-591. Domínguez, R., J. Domínguez Godino, C. Freitas, I. Machado and I. Bertocci. 2015. Habitat traits and patterns of abundance of the purple sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816), at multiple scales along the north Portuguese coast. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 155:47-55. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). 2012. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012. Rome, Italy. Fernandez, C. and C.F. Boudouresque. 2000. Nutrition of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) fed different artificial food. Marine Ecology Progress Series 204:131- 141. Gago, J. 2009. Sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck 1816) eggs and endotrophic larvae: Potential of their use as marine larval fish first-feeding. Doutoramento em biologia. Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Biologia Animal. McBride, C.S. 2005. Sea Urchin Aquaculture. American Fisheries Society Symposium 46:179-208. Ouréns, R. 2013. Estrategia vital y dinâmica poblacional del erizo Paracentrotus lividus . PhD Dissertation, Universidade da Coruña, Spain. Schlosser, S.C., I. Lupatsch, J.M. Lawrence, A.L. Lawrence and M. Shpigel. 2005 Protein and energy digestibility and gonad development of the European sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck) fed algal and prepared diets during spring and fall Aquaculture Research 36:972-982. Silva, P.M.L. 2012. Crescimento do ouriço-do-mar Paracentrotus lividus em viveiro na zona costeira da Ericeira, Portugal. Dissertação de Mestrado em Ecologia Marinha. Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Biologia Animal. Watts, S.A., A.L. Lawrence and J.M. Lawrence. 2013. Sea urchins: biology and ecology. Pages 155-169 In : Chapter 10: Nutrition. Developments in Aquaculture and Fisheries Science, Volume 38. Elsevier, New York, NY, USA. FIGURE 10. Boxes of green seaweed ( Ulva spp.) to support offshore production of purple sea urchin (Photo: João Araújo).