Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association

What Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association does

Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association (PUHA) is a British Columbia industry association incorporated in 1992 to represent commercial sea urchin harvesters in the province. The association's membership comprises 110 license holders in the Red Urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) fishery and 49 license holders in the Green Urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) fishery, for a total of 159 commercially licensed participants operating under a Total Allowable Catch and Individual Quota system administered with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

PUHA operates a Collaborative Agreement with DFO under cost-recovery policies and co-develops the annual Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP). It funds fisheries science and management, maintains quality assurance and traceability systems from harvest through market delivery, and collaborates with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on food safety compliance. The association also partners with Parks Canada, the Haida Nation, Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Victoria on ecosystem research, including the Gwaii Haanas Kelp Restoration project. PUHA's revenue is derived from annual membership/license fees from harvesters, supplemented by government grants for market development and traceability.

PUHA's commercial outputs are live whole sea urchins and processed uni (roe/gonads) destined primarily for export to Japan and China, with secondary domestic distribution through the Fresh on Friday dockside program at False Creek Fishermen's Harbour and Steveston Fish Sales Dock and through a network of roughly ten BC-based processors and exporters. Marketing is conducted via international seafood trade shows (Seafood Expo Global, Seafood Expo Asia, Seafood Expo North America, China Fisheries and Seafood Expo), multi-language print materials (English, Japanese, Chinese Simplified and Traditional), recipe content, and social channels (Facebook, X, Instagram).

Name

Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association

Legal name

Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association

Website

https://puha.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

British Columbia industry association incorporated in 1992 that represents 110 Red Urchin and 49 Green Urchin license holders, administering the BC sea urchin fishery in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and exporting live urchins and uni primarily to Japan and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: PUHA collects and administers annual fees from license holders to fund research, off-load validation, and marketing activities. The association represents 110 Red Urchin license holders and 49 Green Urchin license holders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PUHA is an industry association representing sea urchin harvesters in British Columbia, Canada. It promotes sustainable practices and management of the Red and Green urchin fisheries, administers quality and traceability programs, conducts international marketing for BC Sea Urchin (live urchins and uni roe), and supports license holders through regulatory collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Product overview

Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association (PUHA) is an industry association for sea urchin harvesters and processors in British Columbia, not a traditional technology company. The organization's 'products' are seafood commodities: live whole sea urchins (red and green species) and processed uni (sea urchin roe/gonads). The portfolio includes two core harvested species (Red Urchin with 110 license holders and Green Urchin with 49 license holders), the Fresh on Friday weekly delivery program for live products, and supporting marketing resources including multilingual print materials and international trade show reports. The association focuses on sustainability, quality management, and market development for the BC sea urchin fishery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Sea Urchin Whole fresh sea urchins harvested from British Columbia coastal waters by licensed divers, sold live to processors, restaurants, and retailers for export and domestic markets.
• Uni (Sea Urchin Roe) Processed sea urchin roe (uni) extracted under CFIA guidelines, valued as a delicacy in Japanese cuisine and used in sushi, sashimi, soups, and seafood dishes.
• Fresh on Friday Program Weekly delivery and dockside sales program providing live sea urchin to BC Lower Mainland restaurants and retail fish stores every Friday.
• Red Sea Urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) The largest sea urchin species, harvested from rocky sub-tidal Pacific shores of North America, representing 110 license holders in PUHA's Red Urchin fishery.
• Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) A smaller sea urchin species found in both Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, representing 49 license holders in PUHA's Green Urchin fishery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 110 Red Urchin license holders + 49 Green Urchin license holders comprise the membership base
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)coreOthersCollaborative Agreement where PUHA funds the costs of science and management associated with sea urchin fisheries. Annual IFMP (Integrated Fisheries Management Plan) development with DFO science and management managers and all stakeholders.
• Parks CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Gwaii Haanas Kelp Restoration project with the Haida Nation. Positive results demonstrate that sea urchin fishery is beneficial to biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.
• Haida NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Gwaii Haanas Kelp Restoration project combining professional harvesting experience, cutting edge marine science, and indigenous traditional knowledge.
• Simon Fraser University (SFU)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research collaboration on sea urchin related research as part of PUHA's ecosystem research program.
• University of British Columbia (UBC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research collaboration on sea urchin related research as part of PUHA's ecosystem research program.
• University of Victoria (UVic)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research collaboration on sea urchin related research as part of PUHA's ecosystem research program.
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)coreOthersRegulatory agency that sets strict guidelines for BC processors extracting sea urchin roe (uni). Ensures food safety compliance for processed sea urchin products.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)supportingOthersProvides market development and traceability support. AgriMarketing Program supports competitive and innovative Canadian Agri Food sector with promotional activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Fisheries Institute: US trade association for the seafood industry covering harvesters, processors, distributors, and retailers. Comparable to PUHA as a broad industry body engaged in market access, policy advocacy, and consumer education.
• Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute: State-level seafood marketing authority running international trade show programs, sustainability storytelling, and export market development. Comparable to PUHA on the international marketing and premium-seafood positioning work, but at state scale.
• Norwegian Seafood Council: National seafood marketing council running global trade show programs, multilingual consumer marketing, and export market development. Comparable to PUHA on the international marketing and trade mission function, but at vastly larger scale.

Others

• Cleanfish: Sustainable seafood sourcing and brand company working with artisanal harvesters and premium buyers. Comparable to PUHA as a sustainability-driven ecosystem player connecting small-scale wild harvest with premium markets.
• Pacific Seafood Group: Major North American seafood processor, harvester, and exporter with significant urchin handling. Comparable to PUHA's processor/exporter members and serves as a downstream partner in the BC-to-Asia supply chain.

Regional players

• Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance: Canadian national aquaculture industry association. Comparable to PUHA in the Canadian seafood advocacy and government-collaboration function, though focused on farmed species rather than wild harvest.
• Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia: Canadian regional seafood industry association representing processors, harvesters, and exporters. Comparable to PUHA in mandate (advocacy, market development, sustainability) and member-funded model, though broader across species.

Direct peers

• Maine Lobstermen's Association: Small-scale commercial fishery industry association representing harvesters under a quota-based management system. Structurally similar to PUHA: license-holder membership, science funding, and government collaboration on TAC-style rules.
• Urchinomics: Sea urchin ranching and enhancement company operating globally, including in New Zealand and Canada. Closely comparable to PUHA as both organizations sit squarely in the sea urchin supply chain and address wild urchin/kelp ecosystem economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MediaPuha
• Facebookfacebook.com/Pacific-Urchin-Harvesters-Association-153381171388169
• Instagraminstagram.com/puhamedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association