Green Sea Urchin

Range: North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans - Alaska to Washington state in the Pacific, and north of Massachusetts towards the Baltic Sea in the Atlantic

By far one of the most commonly researched and well-understood species of urchin, the green sea urchin serves as a model organism among urchins (which, speaking from experience, makes writing a short blurb about them surprisingly difficult). Pretty much all aspects of this species have been researched, including their feeding behavior, anatomy, reproduction, larval development and growth determinants, ecological role, and pathogens and mortality. This species is commercially harvested in many coastal regions, including the states of Alaska, Washington, and Maine, and sold to Japan for uni. Because of this, a lot of research has been conducted on understanding the development of marketable uni in this species, including how food type and quantity influences gonad flavor, coloration, and size. Especially in Maine, research is also being conducted on the potential of co-culturing these urchins with oysters - an ecological solution to biofouling in oyster cages, while doubling the farming of profitable organisms.