The much sought-after edible species of sea urchin. Photo: Alan DeidunThe much sought-after edible species of sea urchin. Photo: Alan Deidun

Now is the time to book a table and order a plate of pasta con ricci before the moon wanes.

It is believed that the best time to hunt for sea urchins is when the moon is full: the fuller the moon, the meatier they are.

“I used to hear the elderly speak of this theory and I have experienced it myself.

“In the moonlight, the sea urchins would move along the seagrass and they used to look like stars sitting on the Posidonia,” fisherman Martin Caruana said.

Documents dating back to the 17th century support this theory across the Mediterranean, while research in Bermuda shows fertilisation of the urchins depends on the lunar cycle.

Mr Caruana used to go out to sea with his father on Sundays to catch lunch for the family.

His father would shell the urchins, which were the size of large oranges, and the family would eat them with bread.

However the urchins seemingly disappeared from the seas some 30 years ago, and although they started appearing again over the years, they are not as big, he said.

And as they gained popularity with those who eat out, fishing for the species did not remain sustainable. Pollution and destruction of the seabed through dredging did not help either, Mr Caruana noted.

Another person whose father and grandparents believed in urchin harvesting during a full moon is Charles Azzopardi, of Azzopardi Fisheries. “They would tell me: the fuller the moon, the fuller the urchins,” he said, adding that the species were gaining in popularity at restaurants as a pasta condiment.

As the sea became cleaner over the past few years, sea urchins were becoming more available, he added.

This was reiterated by an amateur diver contacted by this newspaper who does not believe the moon theory.

Although he had noticed an increase in sea urchins in the past four years, he warned that divers needed to be more careful and fish responsibly.

Maltese legislation (Legal Notice 311 of 2006) stipulates that the species’ exploitation should be regulated.

However, according to marine biologist and University lecturer Alan Deidun, there was very little monitoring and enforcement.

Dr Deidun noted that while the black sea urchin, which was inedible and locally known as patrijiet was abundant, the much sought-after edible species had declined in certain localities.

Tougher regulations, similar to those in neighbouring Sardinia, were needed, he said. The island’s regulations include limiting the sea urchin fishing period and imposing a daily quota of 50 urchins for amateur fishermen.

A diving instructor said the decline in the species was definitely due to exploitation of sea creatures and this was not just limited to the urchins.

“People turn up on the seafront every single day to catch fish and octopus which they then sell to restaurants.

“In keeping up with the demand, they are disregarding sustainability and sometimes it is even hard to come across a damselfish,” he said, adding that tougher regulation, similar to Italian laws, was urgently needed.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.