Science Centres: Fisheries

Feeding sea urchins in Mahanga Bay, Wellington.

Phil James receives his award from Steve Maharey, Minister of Research, Science & Technology.

Fattening kina in sea-cages has just won Phil James of NIWA the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing section of the MacDiarmid Young Scientist of the Year awards.

On the domestic market, kina roe can fetch $70 per kg – substantially more than rock lobster – but the yield from wild-caught kina is highly variable. Phil’s research shows that holding kina in sea-cages with the right diet and handling can more than double their roe yield within ten weeks.

‘The kina fishers we work with have great local knowledge of when and where to fish, but it’s very challenging to make a commercial operation economically viable,’ he says. ‘What we’re trying to do is develop ways for fishers to generate more income from the same number of animals. That should also be good for the long-term future of the fishery, and for the environment.’

Phil’s award-winning research was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology. He leads NIWA’s research on kina husbandry and environmental effects, in conjunction with commercial partners, including Sea Urchin New Zealand. NIWA is also working on further development of artificial diet for kina, along with Nissui and Sealord.