Cost/benefit analysis of sea urchin fishing techniques. Activity A3.2.2 of the NPA URCHIN project

This report gives a brief introduction to the URCHIN project, funded by the Northern Peripheries and Arctic Programme (NPA). This is followed by a summary (based on the Nofima report Number 15/2016, Activity A3.1.1 of the NPA URCHIN project) describing the main fishing techniques that are used in sea urchin fisheries around the world. The factors that contribute to define the optimal sea urchin fishing techniques for any given country and company are outlined. The efficacy of a fishing technique will depend on a number of these factors and the interactions between them. They will vary significantly in each NPA country, depending on where the venture is within the country (e.g. proximity to major airports, climatic differences), the size of the company carrying out the fishing and the size and scale of the fishing venture. Included in this report are recommendations for optimal fishing techniques for each of the participating NPA countries to define what method of fishing is likely to be most effective in each.