From seaweed harvesters to sea urchin rescuers: the story of Porto-Muiños

Sea urchin grown at Algafrés production facility

Porto-Muiños, a family-owned aquaculture producer in Galicia with 25 years of experience in the industry, used EU support to develop a new aquaculture facility, where they use their business’ staple algae products to cultivate sea urchin for restocking local waters.

A struggling ecosystem

The Galician coast, where the Cantabrian and Atlantic seas converge, is a vibrant marine ecosystem with a rich growing environment for macroalgae, sea urchins and other important Galician delicacies.

However, these waters have seen drastic declines in sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) populations due to a series of tanker spills that contaminated growing habitats, devastating local populations and hindering recovery.

Rosa Mirás and Antonio Muiños, a family of aquaculture farmers who are passionate about the conservation of their local marine ecosystem, saw an opportunity to help. 'We want to help the maritime communities contribute to ecosystem recovery, and the fishing guilds need sea urchin production to increase', explains Antonio. Using European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) support, Rosa and Antonio developed the new Algafrés production facility, where they use their staple algae products to produce sea urchin seedlings for restocking local waters.

From devastation to restoration

Rosa and Antonio’s journey into the marine treasures of Galicia began in 1998, when they founded Porto-Muiños, a company dedicated to sharing the bounty of Galician waters through the harvesting, cultivation, processing and production of marine macroalgae and other valuable local seafood products. The small family operation grew steadily, eventually enlisting the help of their children Xandra and Anton on the mission to sustainably produce seaweed, sea urchin roe, monkfish liver, anemones and other nutritious mainstays of the region.

But while the business grew, urchin populations in Galicia continued to decline. Already nearing overexploitation, a series of tanker spills in the early 1990’s polluted the vulnerable urchin fishery, causing a stark decline in stocks and paving a difficult road to recovery.

Intent on helping, Rosa and Antonio joined local members of the Galician fishing community, including traditional guilds and fishers associations (Cofradías) dedicated to the urchin, to see how they could contribute to the recovery. As Antonio explains, 'Sea urchins are very sensitive and delicate. When reintroducing them into their natural habitat, the conditions must be optimal to nurture the sea urchin and ensure its successful growth.'

In 2021 the Muiños Mirás family used EMFF funds to develop the Algafrés production facility, where they cultivate sea urchin for re-stocking. The company uses own-produced macroalgae to feed the urchin throughout their life-cycle, and to keep mature urchin healthy during transportation and restocking. This innovative co-production process minimises waste, maximises resource use and reduces environmental harm, all while contributing to the urchins’ recovery.

Growing sea urchin at Algafrés production facility

Antonio Muiños (right) re-stocking local urchin fishery with son Anton and A Coruña Cofradía biologist Pablo Sánchez

Giving back for a sustainable future

To coordinate the restocking, the Muiños Mirás family collaborates with local marine scientists and Cofradías. The Cofradías help transport adult urchin from the Algafrés facility to vulnerable local fisheries for restocking. They also serve as ‘eyes and ears’ at sea, keeping the family informed on the status of the fishery and where assistance may be needed. Through careful co-management, regular restocking and intermittent closures of fishing grounds, the community hopes that the urchin stocks will begin to recover and reach a healthy state.

This sustainable approach has the potential for wider application. 'What we planted two years ago is now starting to be successfully harvested. The successful trials are the results we aim to convey to Europe' says Antonio. This success has attracted international interest, with visitors from around the world seeking to replicate this system for the recovery and development of sea urchin stocks in their respective countries.

Beyond sharing their success, Antonio emphasises the importance of giving back: 'We want to somehow give back the support that the EU has provided us through project funding by means of all the research and innovation work and the contribution we can now make to the Cofradías.'