BBC: Turning sea urchins into a delicacy

Sea urchins - to many they're known as the porcupines of the sea - are expanding as invasive populations of the purple variety are seemingly destroying underwater kelp forests and seaweed fields, both of which are vital in helping reduce carbon dioxide levels.

At the same time, it seems urchins are gaining popularity as a culinary delicacy. So the obvious solution would be to harvest them at greater levels and serve them up to a growing band of seafood lovers. Well, one start up called Urchinomics is working on that very principle.

BBC Newsday heard from Brian Takeda who is the founder and CEO of Urchinomics, and first from Jeff Maassen who is a urchin harvester in California who is working with them.

Listen the full interview here
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