Optimum protein level in a purified diet for young red sea urchin Pseudocentrotus depressus

Abstract

Commercial culture of sea urchin is becoming necessary due to declining wild populations caused by over harvesting and unforeseen mass mortality. To realize this objective, a reliable supply of the high-quality feed is essential. Red sea urchin Pseudocentrotus depressus is considered to be one of the most suitable species for culture, especially in the western coastal area of Japan, because the reproduction technique has already been established and the rearing technique is not so complicated. Basic nutritional information, however, is not available for development of the artificial feed.