Profitability and sustainability of edible sea urchin fishery in Sardinia (Italy)

Sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) fishery is intensively practiced in several areas of the Mediterranean basin. In Sardinia, as well as other Mediterranean countries, sea urchin is a basic ingredient for several dishes due to the delicacy of its gonads (roe), and demand is constantly increasing. Restrictions have been implemented in order to minimise the risk of overexploitation, however, these measures might jeopardize economic convenience in sea urchin harvesting. This paper estimates economic convenience within the edible sea urchin fishery in Sardinia. It aims to determine whether both profitability and sustainability, in terms of the preservation of sea urchin stock, can be guaranteed by actual policy regulation. We found high variability in terms of captures and profitability among firms, and a considerable degree of this variability is the result of technological differences between fishing methods. Analysis also suggests that a slight increase in allowed captures should generate a more than proportional increase in profits. This evidence gives some useful suggestions for improving the efficacy of policies in affecting the economic and environmental sustainability of the Mediterranean sea urchin fishery.