Sea urchin aquaculture is expanding globally to meet demand for uni (roe), raising emerging questions about whether urchins can suffer and how to manage them humanely.
The welfare status of sea urchins sits at the edge of current scientific understanding. Their nervous systems are simpler than vertebrates, but they clearly respond to noxious stimuli and show behavioral changes under poor conditions. Whether these responses involve subjective experience remains uncertain. Given this uncertainty, the precautionary principle suggests we should minimize sources of harm in urchin aquaculture — reducing overcrowding, minimizing handling stress, maintaining optimal water quality, and avoiding practices known to cause autotomy. As aquaculture scales up, investing in urchin welfare science now is far better than acting after harm is established.