[en] A starvation and then feeding method was developed to produce about 100% marketable sea urchins, Paracentrotus lividus, in 3 1/2 months. This method is needed because the reproduction cycle is desynchronized in the conditions imposed during the somatic growth stage in land-based closed systems. The major advantages of starving the animals are resetting the reproductive cycle to the spent stage (gonads almost devoid of sexual cells) and stressing the individuals so that they mobilize and restore the nutritive phagocytes, filling them with nutrients. Batches of sea urchins starved 2 months beforehand were fed ad libitum for 45 days with enriched food under eight combinations of four temperatures (12°C, 16°C, 20°C and 24°C) and two photoperiods (9 and 17 h daylight). In our system, the best combination was 24°C and 9 h daylight for growth as well as for gonad quality. The gonadal indices obtained (in dry weight) were over 9% at 16°C and over 12% at 24°C, which are better than what is found in the field for this population.
Agatsuma Y., Momma H. Release of cultured seeds of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius (A. Agassiz), in the Pacific coastal waters of southern Hokkaido: I. Growth and reproductive cycle. Sci. Rep. Hokkaido Fish. Exp. Stn. 31:1988;15-25.
Bishop C.D., Watts S.A. Biochemical and morphometric study of growth in the stomach and intestine of the echinoid Lytechinus variegatus (Echinodermata). Mar. Biol. 114:1992;459-467.
Byrne M. Annual reproductive cycles of the commercial sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus from an exposed intertidal and a sheltered subtidal habitat on the west coast of Ireland. Mar. Biol. 104:1990;275-289.
Byrne M., Andrew N.L., Worthington D.G., Brett P.A. Reproduction in the diatematoid sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii in contrasting habitats along the coast of New South Wales, Australia. Mar. Biol. 132:1998;305-318.
Cochran R.C., Engelmann F. Environmental regulation of the annual reproductive season of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Stimpson). Biol. Bull. 148:1975;393-401.
Conand C., Sloan N.A. World fisheries for echinoderms. Mar. Invertebr. Fish. 1989;647-663.
Fernandez, C., 1996. Croissance et nutrition de Paracentrotus lividus dans le cadre d'un projet aquacole avec alimentation artificielle. Thèse de doctorat, Université de Corse, 278 pp.
Fernandez C., Caltagirone A. Growth rate of adult sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus in a lagoon environment: the effect of different diet types. David, Guille, Féral, Roux Echinoderms Through Time. 1994;655-660 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Gomez J.L.C., Tallon J.G.M., Rodriguez L.G.M. Experiments of sowing juveniles of Paracentrotus lividus(Lamarck) in the natural environment. Emson, Smith, Campbell Echinoderm Research 1995. 1995;255-258 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Grosjean P., Spirlet C., Gosselin P., Vaitilingon D., Jangoux M. Land-based closed cycle echiniculture of Paracentrotus lividus Lamarck (Echinodermata: Echinoidea): a long term experiment at a pilot scale. J. Shellfish Res. 17:1998;1523-1531.
Grosjean P., Spirlet C., Jangoux M. Experimental study of growth in the echinoid Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) (Echinodermata). J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 201:1996;173-184.
Grosjean P., Spirlet C., Jangoux M. Comparison of three body-size measurements for echinoids. Candia Carnevali M.D., Bonasoro F. Proceedings of the 5th European Echinoderm Conference. 1999;31-35 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Guettaf M., San Martin G.A. Etude de la variabilité de l'indice gonadique de l'oursin comestible Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) en Méditerranée nord-occidentale. Vie Milieu. 45:1995;129-137.
Jangoux, M., Larsonneur, C., Catoira Gomez, M., 1996. Sea urchin cultivation, final report of contract no. AQ 2.530 BFE. FAR research program of the ECC, 96 pp.
Kelly M.S., McKenzie J.D., Brodie C.C. Sea urchins in polyculture: the way to enhanced gonad growth? Mooi R., Telford M. Echinoderms: San Francisco. 1998;707-711 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Klinger T.S., Hsieh H.L., Pangallo R.A., Chen C.P., Lawrence J.M. The effect of temperature on feeding, digestion, and absorption of Lytechinus variegatus. Physiol. Zool. 59:1986;332-336.
Klinger T.S., Lawrence J.M., Lawrence A.L. Digestion, absorption and assimilation of prepared feeds by echinoids. Mooi R., Telford M. Echinoderms: San Francisco. 1998;713-721 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Lawrence J.M. The energetic echinoderm. Keegan B.F., O'Connor B.D.S. Echinodermata. 1985;47-67 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Lawrence J.M., Fenaux L., Corre M.C., Lawrence A. The effect of quantity and quality of prepared diets on production in Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea). Scalera-Liaci L., Canicatti C. Echinoderm Research. 1991;107-110 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Leahy P.S., Hough-Evans B.R., Britten R.J., Davidson E.H. Synchrony of oogenesis in laboratory maintained and wild populations of the purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus). J. Exp. Zool. 215:1981;7-22.
Le Gall P. Culture of echinoderms. Barnabe G. Aquaculture. 1:1990;443-462 Ellis Horwood, New York.
Le Gall P., Bucaille D. Sea urchins production by inland farming. De Pauw N., Jaspers E., Ackerfors H., Wilkins N. Aquaculture - a biotechnology in progress. 1989;53-59 European Aquaculture Society, Breden, Belgium.
Le Gall P., Bucaille D., Grassin J.B. Influence de la température sur la croissance de deux oursins comestibles Paracentrotus lividus et Psammechinus granularis. De Ridder C., Dubois P., Lahaye M.C., Jangoux M. Echinoderm Research. 1990;183-187 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Lozano J., Galera J., Lopez S., Turon X., Palacin C., Morera G. Biological cycles and recruitment of Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in two contrasting habitats. Mar. Biol. Prog. Ser. 122:1995;179-191.
McBride S.C., Pinnix W.D., Lawrence J.M., Lawrence A.L., Mulligan T.M. The effect of temperature on production of gonads by the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus fed natural and prepared diets. J. World Aquacult. Soc. 28:1997;357-365.
McClintock J.B., Watts S.A. The effects of photoperiod on gametogenesis in the tropical sea urchin Eudaris tribuloides (Lamarck) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea). J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 139:1990;175-184.
Pearse J.S., Cameron R.A. Echinodermata: Echinoidea. Giese A.C., Pearse J.S., Pearse V.B. Reproduction of marine invertebrates. Echinoderms and Lophophorates. VI:1991;513-662 Boxwood Press.
Pearse J.S., Pearse V.B., Davis K.K. Photoperiodic regulation of gametogenesis and growth in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. J. Exp. Zool. 237:1986;107-118.
Robinson S.M.C., Colborne L. Roe enhancement trials of the green sea urchin using an artificial food source. Mooi R., Telford M. Echinoderms: San Francisco. 1998;803 Balkema, Rotterdam.
Sakairi K., Yamamoto M., Ohtsu K., Yoshida M. Environmental control of gonadal maturation in laboratory reared sea urchins: Anthocidaris crassispina and Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. Zool. Sci. 6:1989;721-730.
Spirlet C., Grosjean P., Jangoux M. Reproductive cycle of the echinoid Paracentrotus lividus: analysis by means of the maturity index. Invertebr. Reprod. Dev. 34:1998;69-81.
Spirlet C., Grosjean P., Jangoux M. Optimizing food distribution in closed-circuit cultivation of edible sea-urchins (Paracentrotus lividus: Echinoidea). Aquat. Living Resour. 11:1998;273-277.
Turón X., Giribet G., Lopez S., Palacin C. Growth and population structure of Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in two contrasting habitats. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 122:1995;193-204.
Ulbricht R.J., Pritchard A.W. Effect of temperature on the metabolic rate of sea urchin. Biol. Bull. Mar. Biol. Lab. (Woods Hole). 142:1972;178-185.
Urgorri, V., Reborada, P., Troncoso, J.S., 1994. Dispersión, demografia y producción gonadal de una población de Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816). Memoria final de resultados del P.I. FEUGA, University Santiago de Compostela.
Walker C.W., Lesser M.P. Manipulation of food and photoperiod promotes out-of-season gametogenesis in the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis: implication for aquaculture. Mar. Biol. 132:1998;663-676.
Yamamoto M., Ishine M., Yoshida M. Gonadal maturation independent of photic conditions in laboratory reared sea urchins, Pseudocentrotus depressus and Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. Zool. Sci. 5:1988;979-988.
