Kita-Sanriku and Yanmar launch pilot project
Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd. and Kita-Sanriku Factory Co., Ltd. launched a pilot project on April 1, 2025, to develop a land-based sea urchin aquaculture system tackling coastal ocean desertification.
Supported by Japan’s SBIR program, the project includes a 920 million yen budget and a new facility in Iwate, showcasing UNI-VERSE systems® for scalable, high-quality sea urchin production.
Isoyake, or coastal ocean desertification, is a growing environmental issue characterized by the loss of seaweed beds along Japan’s coastal areas. In response to the threat of ocean desertification, which is partially attributed to overgrazing of seaweed by marine organisms such as sea urchins, Kita-Sanriku Factory has started an initiative called “Sea Urchin Regeneration and Cultivation”. This project aims to transform undernourished sea urchins – previously discarded as having no commercial value – into premium seafood products. By feeding the sea urchins for a short period of time, the company was able to greatly improve the size, color, and quality, and succeeded in realizing a taste comparable to that of the natural product. This advancement also enables year-round shipping, including during the winter months when sea urchin are typically not available. It is also expected that the land-based aquaculture system will allow seaweed beds to recover, alleviating the problem of Isoyake.
This system was developed over more than seven years in collaboration with Associate Professor Ura and his team at Hokkaido University. The sea urchin feed “Hagukumutane®” and the structure of the fish tank and water tank are patented technologies of the Kita-Sanriku Factory.
The Yanmar Group brings extensive expertise in land-based aquaculture systems, including fish tanks, automated tank washers, and shellfish seed technologies. The company’s advanced fluid analysis and automatic cleaning technologies will help optimize environmental controls in the new aquaculture system. Together with Kita-Sanriku Factory, Yanmar aims to refine the UNI-VERSE systems® technology to enable the efficient and sustainable production of high-quality sea urchins for export.
Japan is facing a nationwide spread of marine desertification, which leaves urchins severely underdeveloped and lowers supply quality. Kita Sanriku Factory aims to address this by promoting its regenerative aquaculture system—developed with Hokkaido University and other research institutions—both within Japan and abroad.
While international demand for Japanese sea urchins is increasing, securing a high-quality supply has become more difficult due to a rise in the number of “skinny” sea urchins with extremely small gonads, the edible part of sea urchins. The regenerative aquaculture model developed by Kita-Sanriku Factory, in collaboration with the Graduate School of Fisheries Science of Hokkaido University and other research institutions, aims to address this supply gap and promote sustainable practices worldwide.
Kita-Sanriku Factory plans to export UNI-VERSE systems® sea urchins to the EU, the U.S., Dubai, Thailand, and other countries around the world. In 2025, the company will exhibit at four major seafood fairs in the world in Barcelona, Boston, Dubai, and Bangkok, establishing a global commercial distribution network.
