ERA-NET: Blue Bio, Increasing Echinoderm Value Chains

The InEVal project aims to Increase the value of Echinoderm Value Chains. It is divided into sea stars, sea cucumbers and the focus of this report, sea urchins. The sea urchin work package focuses on sea urchin roe enhancement and providing a product to the market all year round. In addition, we look at ways of utilizing waste product from processed sea urchins as well as a use for the large biomass of sea urchins found along the Norwegian coast that have created sea urchin barrens and restricted the growth of macroalgae forests. Is it possible to enhance sea urchins all year round? There is enormous interest in sea urchin roe enhancement in Norway and around the world. This involves harvesting mature sea urchins of market size, often from areas that have an abundance of sea urchins, often referred to as ‘sea urchin barrens’, and enhancing them over a 10-12 week period. Enhancing sea urchins consists of holding them in land or sea-based holding systems and feeding them manufactured diets to increase the size and quality of the gonad (commonly known as the roe). The InEVal project ran a series of trials to identify whether there are differences in the ability of the green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) to enhance the gonad (GI) of sea urchins from four different sites (within 5km of each other) in the north of Norway and whether these differences change in three different trials conducted throughout a 12-month period. Also, the study looked at the impact of increasing seawater temperature on gonad enhancement of the green sea urchin. The sea urchins were held at ambient seawater temperatures as well as ambient plus 3.0oC. Samples were collected from each site at the beginning of the three enhancement periods and then again from each site and at the end of as well as from the enhanced sea urchins from each site. Results showed that utilising the sea urchins from a variety of sites, even from sea urchin barrens where the Gonad Index (GI) is almost always low, over a 12 month period is viable in regard to producing a consistently high GI of good quality. The study has also shown that it is possible to have a relatively consistent roe enhancement from S. droebachiensis from the North of Norway regardless of seasonality (time of year), site selection and initial GI. Relatively small changes (up to 3oC) in the seawater temperature appear to have a slightly negative impact on enhancement efforts. The results of the study show that site selection is most likely not as important as ease of harvesting and sea urchin availability and the positive environmental impact from removal of sea urchins, and these are the factors that harvesting strategies should focus on. Overall, the results are very positive for a sea urchin roe enhancement industry that could produce good quality sea urchin roe throughout the year. The results of this study were published in a scientific journal 2023 (doi.org/10.1155/2023/6360865, titled: Effect of Season and Increased Temperature on Survival, Roe Enhancement, and Reproductive Cycle of the Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) Collected from Four Relatively Close Sites in Northern Norway). Is sea urchin biomass a useful resource? In the InEVal project we have investigated different possible uses for sea urchin by product. This consists of sea urchins that are harvested and damaged, and These include creating a hydrolysate, extracting novel enzymes from the gut (published article), using it as a fertilizer for macroalgae seedlings (student thesis), a supplement for the growing matrix of mushrooms (research done in conjunction with Tromsopp AS) and finally as a fertilizer/biostimulant for agricultural products such as tomato plants (Student thesis and published article in prep). The plant growth trials using sea urchin dry powder as a fertilizer have shown very positive results for the overall plant growth, tomato production as well as acting as a soil buffering agent. In addition, a series of samples of sea urchin biomass was collected from 3 different sampling sites three times throughout a 12-month period to analyse the element, Nitrogen and pH of the sea urchin powder and whether the compsotion changes when harvested from different sites at different times of the year. These results, together with the plant growth trials will be published in a scientific article.

The outcomes from WP2 in the InEVal project have enabled 3 start-up companies in Tromsø to develop and expand over the project lifetime. A fourth larger company has expanded their activities and areas of interest through the InEVal activities. The development has included the sharing of roe enhancement protocols and practices related to harvesting, transport, roe enhancement and product placement in the market. In addition, companies and research institutes have been able to collaborate with researchers in Ireland as well as a commercial industry partner in Spain (Algafres). Specifically, the results of the project will directly affect the project industry partners (particularly URCHINOMICS and Algafres). Both these companies have established pilot scale sea urchin roe enhancement in the first half of the project and are now developing this into full commercial scale production. It will also impact end-users of sea urchin roe as a product as the availability of enhanced sea urchin, both during the traditional season as well as out of season becomes available. Many of the results will also contribute to policy development of the industry in both Norway and Spain. A range of exploitable results have been identified in the project. These include protocols for sea urchin roe enhancement in land-based facilities as well as the development of land-based holding systems (both flow through and RAS) for sea urchin roe enhancement. The main exploitable result is the actual availability of a new seafood product (enhanced sea urchin roe) on the market. The intellectual property of these exploitable results has been considered. Results such as general protocols and the impact of seasonality on roe enhancement that will be widely disseminated through published material cannot be considered the property of individual industry partners but holding system design, and the methods of enhancement of sea urchins will remain the property of the individual partners that have developed them. The longer-term impact on society is the development of a new industry in Norway, the sea urchin roe enhancement industry. This has two main impacts. Firstly, an increase in business and associated activities including employment in the north of Norway. Secondly, a raft of environmental benefits (also known as ecosystem services) from the reforestation of areas where sea urchins are removed from barrens. These include increased biodiversity, production and the storage of carbon in macroalage forests. The other industry that may have long term beneficial impact from InEVal is the agricultural industry as a the results show that sea urchin biomass has the potential to be used as a possible fertilser and/or biostimulant.

Sea stars, Sea urchins and Sea cucumbers are abundant marine biomass resources that are underdeveloped and underutilised. Throughout Europe, these echinoderms are wastefully exploited, disregarded and discarded. Researchers and industry partners in the InEVal project will advance high quality bioeconomic products and services from echinoderm biomass. InEVal addresses societal demand for new solutions to current challenges for human food, aquafeeds and ecosystem services by: 1) Up-valuing sea stars 2) Improving low-value sea urchins 3) Seeding and harvesting sea cucumbers InEVal’s novel products and services serve expanding markets and sectors and InEVal's committed commercial industry partners will ensure realistic new value chains are established. Production methods will be developed to secure regular supply to surveyed and con?rmed target customers, i.e. to diet formulators (aquafeeds) at just-in-time standard; to sea urchin consumers outside normal seasonal bounds; to environmentally aware sea cucumber consumers; and to aquaculture operators aiming to sustainably remediate fallowed production sites. The InEVal project develops realistic value-added, innovative products and services from echinoderm bioresources. Focussing on value and sustainability at every step along the full value chain, these resource uses contribute to zero-waste and circular economies driving a competitive blue bioeconomy in Europe.