In 2019, a team from Memorial University in Newfoundland discovered a massive undersea nursery close to Sanikiluaq, Nunavut. The researchers were invited by the local Sanikiluaq Hunters and Trappers Association, and the site contains billions of tiny sea cucumbers.

The nursery belongs to the Orange‑footed sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa). In a 2023 paper in the journal Polar Science, Annie Mercier and her colleagues described it as the first documented nursery for this species.

Lucassie Arragutainaq, manager of the Sanikiluaq Hunters and Trappers Association, explained that community members already eat the small, young cucumbers. He added that the larger adults could be dried and sold to markets in China and Japan.

The association hopes the scientific data will help it apply for a commercial fishery, which could create new jobs for local residents.

For scientists, the nursery offers a rare chance to track how the animals grow, move and behave, information that is essential for sustainable management of the species worldwide.

If the fishery can be developed responsibly, Sanikiluaq could benefit from a new source of income while researchers gain valuable insights into a poorly understood marine animal.