Abstract
The influence of season, gender and sexual maturity on the biochemical composition (moisture, protein, total lipids, triglycerides, cholesterol, phospholipids, free amino acids, glucose and glycogen) of gonads from the endemic New Zealand sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus was investigated. Gonads were obtained from urchins during the austral autumn, winter, summer and spring, over a 23-month period. Biochemical differences between genders were less pronounced in autumn (March to May) and winter (June to August) when more nutritive cells were present in the gonads, and more distinct over spring (September to November) and summer (December to February) months as the gametogenic cells matured, thus highlighting the importance of assessing testes and ovaries separately during biochemical analysis. Differences in the biochemical composition of testes and ovaries were the least pronounced during autumn, which suggests this will be the best season to harvest E. chloroticus in order to enhance taste and flavour, and reduce variability.