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STORY: Beneath the floor of Japan’s Sagami Bay are heaps of spiky, black sea urchins.
:: Zushi, Japan
Researchers say the inhabitants right here is booming – and that whereas sea urchins naturally graze on marine vegetation…
their extreme numbers have contributed to the desertification of the shoreline.
However on land, one analysis heart is attempting one thing completely different in an effort to manage the inhabitants: feeding them cabbage.
:: THIS EARTH
With so many sea urchins alongside Sagami Bay, volunteer teams have taken to amassing them and transport them off for use as fertilizer.
Researcher Shozo Takamura on the Kanagawa Fisheries Expertise Middle explains the problem.
:: Shozo Takamura, Researcher, Kanagawa Fisheries Expertise Middle
“There are many sea urchins within the locations the place seagrasses have disappeared. Divers and fishermen dive down of their bathing fits to gather and do away with them, however their numbers have barely fallen so clearly there are an enormous variety of them.”
:: Miura, Japan
The middle is attempting out one other use for the collected urchins… and it begins with their weight loss program.
Right here’s researcher Yutaka Harada.
:: Yutaka Harada, Researcher, Kanagawa Fisheries Expertise Middle
“The urchins we’re elevating right here on the analysis heart, that are Pacific purple sea urchins, actually love greens like cabbage and komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), leafy greens principally.”
The purpose is to show that by feeding the ocean urchins greens on land, they will appeal to patrons.
The proceeds would in flip fund additional efforts to take away the ocean urchins and restore the area’s seagrass beds.
Harada says the workforce has already discovered it attainable to lift scrumptious sea urchins on greens like cabbage and are actually engaged on commercialization.
“We’re now engaged on supporting additional efforts towards ocean desertification by elevating sea urchins on land, making them tastier and promoting them to fund our work.”
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