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Abstract

World production of sea urchins peaked in 1995, when 120 306 t were landed. Chile dominates world production, producing more than half the world's total landings of 90 257 t in 1998. Other important fisheries are found in Japan, Maine, British Columbia, California, South Korea, New Brunswick, Russia, Mexico, Alaska, Nova Scotia, and in a number of countries that produced less than 1000 t in 1998. Aside from the Chilean fishery for Loxechinus albus, most harvest is of Strongylocentrotus spp., particularly S. intermedius, S. franciscanus, and S. droebachiensis. Only a small minority of fisheries have been formally assessed and in the absence of such assessments it is difficult to determine whether fisheries are overfished or whether the large declines observed in many represent the "fish down" of accumulated biomass. Nevertheless, those in Chile, Japan, Maine, California and Washington and a number of smaller fisheries, have declined considerably since their peaks and are likely to be overfished. Fisheries in Japan, South Korea and the Philippines have been enhanced by reseeding hatchery-reared juveniles and by modifying reefs to increase their structural complexity and to promote the growth of algae. Sea urchin fisheries have potentially large ecological effects, usually mediated through increases in the abundance and biomass of large brown algae. Although such effects may have important consequences for management of these and related fisheries, only in Nova Scotia, South Korea and Japan is ecological knowledge incorporated into management.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Andrew, NL and Agatsuma, Y and Ballesteros, E and Bazhin, AG and Creaser, EP and Barnes, DKA and Botsford, LW and Bradbury, A and Campbell, A and Dixon, JD and Einarsson, S and Gerring, PK and Hebert, K and Hunter, M and Hur, SB and Johnson, CR and Juinio-Menez, MA and Kalvass, P and Miller, RJ and Moreno, CA and Palleiro, JS and Rivas, D and Robinson, SML and Schroeter, SC and Steneck, RS and Vadas, RL and Woodby, DA and Xiaoqi, Z
Journal or Publication Title:	Oceanography and Marine Biology: an annual review
ISSN:	0078-3218
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

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