January 30, 2025 — A collection of tiny golden eggs crowns a swirl of pasta. They sit on a small plate, the beautiful orange color looking very much like salmon roe. However, the source of these eggs may be surprising. Instead of coming from the sleek, silvery bodies of the salmon, these are the spawn of sea urchins, spindly ocean dwellers that spend their lives wandering the cold, dark bottom of the ocean.
The eggs are commonly called uni, and Coleen Suckling, a marine eco-physiologist and associate professor of aquaculture and fisheries at the University of Rhode Island, is convinced that raising these animals and harvesting the uni is part of a viable industry.
“If you think about what a clean ocean smells like, and translate that to taste, you’ll have an idea of what they taste like,” Suckling said.
In a recent Coastal State Discussion on Sea Urchin Farming in New England, Suckling and Dana Morse of Maine Sea Grant/University of Maine discussed the latest research and initiatives to advance sea urchin aquaculture in New England–specifically purple and green sea urchin species. During the discussion, Suckling dared the audience to taste the uni, which is normally in season from October/November until March/April. Suckling said their use can extend beyond sushi to create sources for pasta dishes or new dining experiences such as serving it on a seaweed bed. “These are lovely, beautiful animals, and Grade A uni from them can fetch $40 to $50 per 3 to 4 ounce tray,” she said.
Green sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) are the only commercially viable species of sea urchin in New England. Most often found grazing along the seabed preferring temperatures of around 53 to 59 F, the animals have a cluster of five teeth on the bottom side that scrape their food as they wander along. They are sometimes regarded as a nuisance species when their populations expand and the creatures begin grazing on valuable kelp ecosystems, a problem which has arisen on the West Coast.
Suckling says there are many projects related to urchin farming taking place both on and off the URI campus, including optimizing hatchery production. Suckling partnered with the region’s only urchin hatchery in Maine, hosted by the University of Maine’s Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research, where Steve Eddy is the director. Together they have been working to find the right conditions for producing juveniles, called seed, which can be provided to coastal farmers for growth for the market. The two institutions received funding from the Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center to enhance settlement success and post-settlement survival to optimize how they produce these seed.