Emerging business opportunities and range extending species

Submitted by:

A Fisheries or aquaculture manager (government) (Tasmania)

QUESTION

What is an emerging business opportunity for range extending species?

ANSWER 1

By: Dr Jennifer Smith

Range-extending Longspined Sea Urchins from Tasmania are on the menu!
Great question! In Tasmania, the Longspined Sea Urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) has been extending its range south along the East Coast. First seen in Tasmania in the 1970s, this urchin now causes a lot of disruption on the temperate reefs of Tasmania by overgrazing on kelp and turning the biodiverse reefs into extensive urchin barrens where other species can no longer thrive. Estimates suggest there are now over 22 million urchins in Tasmania! This transition to urchin barrens is problematic for many reasons including the loss of biodiversity and the loss of commercial fisheries such as rock lobster and blacktop abalone which are highly prized species for Tasmanian fishers.
However, an emerging business opportunity has been growing for this range-extender. Urchins are a huge delicacy in many countries, people enjoy eating the urchin roe (the soft, reproductive organs inside the spiky shell) which provides a specialised umami taste. This has allowed a great business opportunity for Tasmanian divers and processors, who have been fishing the urchin sine 2009. By 2017, over 500 tonnes of urchins were being removed from the reefs in Tasmania by divers and then going to be processed for the international seafood market!