Progress 07/01/23 to 06/30/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences reached during this periodproject are the green sea urchin industrial stakeholder community, such as regional hatcheries, small to medium-sized growers, and scientists from the Department of Marine Resources who permit aquaculture and work with the Maine Sea Urchin Zone Council (SUZC) which is an advisory committee comprised of the industry of hatchery producers, processors, and harvesters. This project has been engaging with these communitiesthrough direct conversations and collaborations; through talks intended for these audiences such those hosted by the Dept. of Marine Resources intended for the SUZC members and broader industry community and public talks coordinated by the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center for regional, national and international shellfish and seaweed growers; and a thematic session at the industry attended Northeast Aquaculture Conference. Changes/Problems:The original project outlined that we would be working with a grower for sampling of urchins, but the urchins were lost meaning we couldno longer use animals grown with a known history from the farm. As far as the Project Director was aware, there were no other suitable grower alternatives at that time to resolve this challenge. This meant that the project needed to use the contingency plan outlined in the original proposal - to sample from the natural stock of green sea urchins to address the project objectives. This work requires a special research license which must list qualified divers, with no prior permit offenses and list USGS certified boats that will be used. This would take a significant time to coordinate and manage every month, and from initial enquiries no diver could fully commit to the project needs or had certified boats. The Project Director was permitted by the Reproduction Program Directors to bring in the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) into the project as a new funded project partner to resolve these issues. They oversee research and aquaculture permitting and the natural stock of green urchins, have excellent knowledge of sample sites, are qualified scuba divers with access to facilities (boat) to coordinate and implement reliable and consistent sampling for the project, and are an important stakeholder for the project impacts. Working with the DMR we have coordinated a special research license for the work and have coordinated the partnership paperwork. These solutions have not changed the research goals or sampling protocols, but have placed the project approximately 9 months behind schedule. Some minor re-budgeting was required for the new partnerbut has followed the award terms and conditions. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One Graduate Student has been extensively trained and mentored for sea urchin industry research and mentored in developing plans for and implementing this project for their PhD thesis. Three undergraduate students, including 2 from underserved and underrepresented communities have been trained on green sea urchin aquaculture methods through research-based projects for credit and through summer internships. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?So far we have only collected data for 2 months out of 24 due to starting the project late (see changes/problems section). These preliminary data points were presented to the funding agency during the annual reporting meeting (17th Animal Reproduction Annual Project Director Meeting). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Monthly sampling to determine the ideal harvesting period will continue as well as historical data collections. Green sea urchins (GSUs) will also be collected broadly across the across the historically recognized and present day suspected reproductive period to capture the full temporal reproductive season and reproductive viability. To assess this, this project will employ hatchery production methods and gain insights to their broodstock viability needed for a hatchery. Seawater data collection will continue at the sampling site. Data collection frompublic seawater parameter data archives derive from surface water buoy active services (e.g. NOAA) will begin to determine whether these are suitable to represent the sea urchin site to help understand comparability for climate assessment. Historical sea urchin market data collection will continue. Knowledge exchange and collaboration, through direct communications, meetings, presentations, and data sharing, with the GSU industry will continue.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1.The objectiveof this seed project is to determine whether the green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) reproductive period is shifting to an earlier phase, and therefore, requires changes in the management of production practices to expand and improve industrial sustainability within the Northeastern Unites States. 2.This project has just started its monthly sampling for green sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis; GSUs) from a commercially active central coastal region of the Gulf of Maine to determine how gonad function affects ideal harvest and reproduction timing. Marketable characteristics (e.g. gonad color, gonad index, reproductive stage (via histological sectioning), and tissue firmness) were measured to elucidate during which months the GSUs exhibit desired marketable characteristics and therefore the ideal harvesting period, as well as providing some insights towards when the reproductive period occurs. The team consulted with regional processors to define the marketable characteristic values and categories (e.g. for gonad color) and have developed tools to make this process anonymous tothose data collecting to prevent/reduce bias and make the work repeatable for future research efforts. A daily and interannual seawater parameter logging survey (e.g. temperature) at the sampling site started at the same time as Milestone 1. Historical market characteristic data from 40 years ago have been partly collated from historical reports. There has been knowledge exchange and collaboration, through direct communications, meetings, presentations, and data sharing, with the GSU industry to establish logistics and finalize planning for sampling and to increase awareness of the project and green sea urchin aquaculture industry. 3. There has been several more requests for green sea urchin juveniles by growers to the regional hatchery and further uptake at farms in the Gulf of Maine by another 30-40%. Requests for adjusting the harvesting period have been made by producers and serious discussions are underway at present by the project's target audience. The data being generated by this grant will be presented as more data are collected to help inform this process. 4. Small to medium sized growers will benefit from this work to better understand the ideal management practices for aquaculture.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Suckling, CC, Kogson, L, Morse, D. 2024. The aquaculture of Green Sea Urchins in New England. Maine Aquaculture Hub & Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center Webinar Series. https://youtu.be/xARghdloTHQ?si=1sv4HraBKm0pBkyq
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Eddy, S.D., Morse, D.L., Kogson, L., Suckling, C.C. (2023). Green sea urchin aquaculture in the Northeast US: Hatchery, Nursery and Growout. Maine Sea Grant Information Booklet. 16pp.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Suckling. CC. (2023). Green Sea Urchin Research Forum, Maine Department of Marine Resources Understanding the role of climate change on green sea urchin production new projects & collaborative opportunities.
|