More than a million sea urchins removed from kelp beds

TACL chief executive Dean Lisson said the program was part of a multifaceted approach by industry, government and research institutions to slow down the spread of the long-spined sea urchin. 

"The aim of the program is to reduce degradation of productive abalone habitat while assisting the start-up of the Centrostephanus sea urchin export industry," Mr Lisson said. 

"It provides an incentive to divers to collect the urchins, it helps the marine habitat by reducing the harm caused by Centrostephanus and it is subsidising a new seafood export industry to help get it established." 

The TACL has identified broad scale habitat degradation, caused by the southerly encroachment of urchins on the East Coast due to a rise in water temperature, as one of the major contributors to lost productivity of abalone reefs. 

Mr Lisson said initially the program targeted two reef areas affected by urchin invasion, Cape Pillar to the northern tip of Fortescue Bay and North of St Helens, however, due to its success the harvest area has been expanded to include anywhere between Eddystone Point and Cape Pillar. 

The harvested sea urchins are sent to a processing factory to help establish a new roe based export industry. 

Divers receive 75 cents per kilogram payment for the urchins and are also paid by the processor for the catch.

An estimated 480 tonnes will be processed by mid 2019 when the roe season finishes. 

Ninety-five per cent of the roe is exported to Asian markets, with the remainder entering the domestic market.