© Urchinomics
In a bid to make progress towards sustainable seafood procurement and marine conservation, the restorative aquaculture company Urchinomics Group has entered into a new capital and business alliance with Food and Life Companies – a Japan-based business mainly focussing on the operation of sushi restaurants.
The companies have united under the shared goal of addressing the rapid decline of wild kelp forests and the reduced abundance of wild edible sea urchin populations. Urchinomics aims to address this problem by removing the ecologically destructive barren urchin populations and ranching them in a land-based system, turning them into uni - a coveted delicacy.
“Through collaboration with Urchinomics, I hope we will be able to establish planned manufacture and a secure stable procurement base of sea urchins, for which we previously had to rely on wild catch. Also I have high hopes to cause positive effects of restoring kelp forests through the effective use of natural resources by utilising barren urchins which have been difficult to consume as food,” said Koichi Mizutome, Food and Life Companies CEO, in a press release.
Giles Cadman, chief executive of Verdant Bloom, Urchinomics parent company, expressed his excitement at the partnership, saying that it marks an important milestone for the company.
“[This] marks a significant step forward for Urchinomics. This is more than just an off-take agreement and capital investment; together, we are poised to restore marine ecosystems and establish a reliable supply of high-quality uni in a market which is starved of supply. This collaboration highlights the importance of our shared goal to combat coastal degredation and support sustainable seafood production,” he exclaimed.
