Aquaculture International

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-018-0319-2

Large-scale production of sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus

intermedius) seed in a hatchery in China

John M. Lawrence 1 & Chong Zhao 2 & Ya-Qing Chang 2

Received: 30 April 2018 / Accepted: 5 November 2018/

# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018

Abstract
Sea urchins are of major economic importance in aquaculture in China. Strongylocentrotus
intermedius, introduced from Japan into Chinese waters, is the major species that is cultured.
Seeds are cultured on long-lines or placed into the sea. We provide a description of a seed
hatchery in China that produced ca. 18 million seeds of a genetically improved strain of S.
intermedius in 2017.

Keywords China . Sea urchins . Seed hatchery . Strongylocentrotus intermedius . Yellow Sea

Fuji (1967) stated BThe recent development of sea urchin fishing in Japan has brought about
apprehension concerning the effect of heavy fishing on the stock …Now it is evident that
either protection or artificial propagation is required to maintain their number.^ Since then, the
Japanese have developed extensive hatcheries for the production of seed, primarily of the sea
urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius (Andrew et al. 2002; Sakai et al. 2004; McBride 2005;
Agatsuma 2013). Strongylocentrotus intermedius was introduced from Japan into Chinese
waters in 1989 and production of seeds began immediately (Wang and Chang 1997). There are
about 30 hatcheries in China that produced ca. 200 million seeds in 2017. Here, we describe
the operation of the Dalian Haibao Fishery Co., Ltd., Liaodong Province on the coast of the
Yellow Sea that was founded in 1993. The hatchery produced ca. 18 million seeds and sold ca.
9 million for long-line culture and release into the sea in 2017.
Chang’s group bred a genetically improved strain of S. intermedius (named Dajin) in China
with the collaboration of Dalian Haibao Fishery Co. (Chang et al. 2015). Dajin has significant
advantages in growth and gonad quality compared to unselected S. intermedius. Here, we
describe the procedure used to produce seed at the Dalian Haibao Fishery Co. Parent urchins
(Dajin) are collected in autumn (October) from both the sea and long-line culture (5 to 8 cm in

* John M. Lawrence
lawr@usf.edu

1
Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
2
Key Laboratory of Mariculture & Stock Enhancement in North China’s Sea, Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Affairs, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China
 Aquaculture International

test diameter). Randomly chosen individuals are dissected to establish the reproduction
condition to decide which batch to use for production of embryos. About 200 females are
used because of the production scale of the company. About 100 males are used to avoid
inbreeding. The mixed sperm is collected and poured into the container with mixed eggs. The
eggs are washed twice after fertilization to avoid polyspermy (~ 5 and ~ 9 h after fertilization).
This is repeated 2–3 times to provide a sufficient number of embryos. Fertilization success is >
90%. 200–300 embryos/mL are placed into 20 L plexiglass containers until hatching.
After hatching, the larvae are transferred to tanks (7–20-ton tanks, 7 × 103 to 20 × 103 L
sea water) (Fig. 1). The tanks are vigorously aerated with shaded natural lighting. The larval
density is about 1 ind/mL (7 × 106 larvae/7 ton tank). Sand-filtered sea water is held static
and changed daily. The percentage of the water changed depends on the stage of larval
development. About 50% of seawater is changed before the six-arm stage. The percentage of
the water changed gradually increases to 100% at the eight-arm stage. All larvae in a tank are
collected by filtering and transferred to a clean tank every 7 days. The tank is subsequently
cleaned by scrubbing. The larvae are fed phytoplankton (Chaetoceros muelleri) with a
concentration of ~ 350,000 ind mL−1. Larvae are checked 2–3 times each day to observe
the condition of the stomach and gut. Phytoplankton is added to the tanks when the stomach
and guts of ~ 70% larvae are nearly empty. Larval survival from hatching to late eight-arm
pluteus stage is 70–80%.
When examination of the larvae indicates they are competent for settlement (ca.
20 days), they are transferred to settlement tanks that have corrugated PVC plates
coated with a general microbial film consisting primarily of diatoms that are placed in
crates (Fig. 2). No specific species of diatoms is used. The settlement plates in the

Fig. 1 Larval rearing tanks (7–20-ton tanks, 7 × 103 to 20 × 103 L sea water)
Aquaculture International

Fig. 2 Larval settlement tank (10 m × 1.3 m × 0.5 m, L × W × H)

crates are placed horizontally in settlement tanks (10 m × 1.3 m × 0.5 m, L × W × H)

with water inflow (flow rate, ~ 50% per day) and aeration. They are placed vertically
after ~ 10 days. The tanks are vigorously aerated with natural shaded lighting.
Settlement success from late eight-arm stage to metamorphosis is low (~ 10%).
Metamorphosed sea urchins are transferred to growth tanks (10 m × 1.3 m × 0.5 m,
L × W × H) by carefully brushing the settlement plates.
 Aquaculture International

The metamorphosed sea urchins are transferred to suspended mesh containers with
corrugated PVC sheets (7000–8000 individuals per container) in growth tanks (con-
tainer size, 150 cm × 60 cm × 40 cm, L × W × H) with continuous inflow (flow rate,
100 to 200% per day) of sea water (Figs. 3 and 4). The mesh size was ~ 0.25 mm at
first, and subsequently ~ 0.85 mm when juveniles grow. The tanks are vigorously

Fig. 3 Growth tanks. General view. Tanks (container size, 150 cm × 60 cm × 40 cm, L × W × H, with mesh size
~ 0.85 mm) with Xuguang Li, factory manager at the hatchery
Aquaculture International

Fig. 4 Growth tanks. Close view showing mesh containers in growth tanks

aerated with natural shaded lighting. The sea urchins are fed Ulva pertusa ad libitum
for ca. 2 to 3 months until the horizontal diameter is ca. 0.3–0.4 cm diameter. They
are then fed Laminaria japonica ad libitum until the horizontal diameter is 1–2 cm
(March or April). The containers are cleaned every 5 days by scrubbing. The sea
water is heated in the winter (ambient sea water temperature is 3–10 °C from mid-
November to mid-April) to 12–13 °C to ensure more individuals reach 1–2 cm in
 Aquaculture International

Fig. 5 Strongylocentrotus intermedius (ca. 1–2 cm diameter) from the growth tanks in April, 2018. These
individuals are from larvae produced in October 2017

diameter in the coming spring. Individuals of 1–2 cm in diameter (the size for selling)
(Fig. 5) are separated from smaller ones by sieving through plastic sheets with a 1–2-
cm mesh. Individuals with a diameter < 1 cm are returned to the growth tanks for
continued growth.
Survival from 0.3–0.4 to 1–2 cm in diameter in March or April is ca. 90%. Survival of the
smaller individuals that are maintained in the growing tanks through the summer until they
reach a diameter of 1–2 cm is lower (40–50%) because of the increase in water temperature.
Spotting disease begins to appear when water temperature is > 18 °C. Disease is indicated by
red lesions on the tests, drooping spines, and a flaccid, protruding Aristotle’s lantern (Wang
et al. 2013). Autopsied dead individuals have a black gut. In summer 2017, 80–90% of the
individuals in the growth tanks died when the water temperature was 26 °C for 2 weeks.
All seeds produced in the factory are used mainly for local stocking in the sea (~ 30%) or
for long-line or raft culture (~ 70%).

Acknowledgments We thank Xiaofei Leng, vice president of the Dalian Haibao Fishery Co., Ltd., for making
arrangements for us to visit the hatchery and his hospitality. We thank Xuguang Li, factory manager at the
hatchery, for his demonstration of the facilities and explanation of its operation. We thank A.L. Lawrence for his
comments. We thank two anonymous referees for their helpful comments.

Compliance with ethical standards This article does not contain any studies with animals performed
by any of the authors.

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.
Aquaculture International

References

Agatsuma Y (2013) Stock enhancement. In: Lawrence JM (ed) Sea urchins: biology and ecology, 3rd edn.
Academic Press, San Diego
Andrew NL, Agatsuma Y, Ballesteros E et al (2002) Status and management of world sea urchin fisheries.
Oceanogr Mar Biol 40:343–425
Chang YQ, Zhang WJ, Leng XF, Song J (2015) Strongylocentrotus intermedius BDajin^. Chinese Fish 12:58–59
(in Chinese)
Fuji A (1967) Ecological studies on the growth and food consumption of Japanese common littoral sea urchin,
Strongylocentrotus intermedius (A. Agassiz). Mem Fac Fish Hokkaido Univ 83:83–160
McBride SC (2005) Sea urchin aquaculture. Am Fish Soc Symp 46:179–208
Sakai Y, Tajima K-I, Agatsuma Y (2004) Mass production of seed of the Japanese edible sea urchins
Strongylocentrotus intermedius and Strongylocentrotus nudus. In: Lawrence JM, Guzmán O, Sea urchins:
fisheries and ecology. DEStech Publications, Lancaster
Wang ZC, Chang YQ (1997) Studies on hatching of Japanese sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. J Fish
Sci China 4:60–67 (in Chinese with an English abstract)
Wang YN, Chang YQ, Lawrence JM (2013) Disease in sea urchins. In: Lawrence JM (ed) Sea urchins: biology
and ecology, 3rd edn. Academic Press, San Diego