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Publication
Effect of enriched substrate on the growth of the sea cucumber Holothuria arguinensis Koehler and Vaney, 1906 juveniles
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The sea cucumber Holothuria arguinensis (Koehler and Vaney, 1906) presents an increasing commercial value in Asian markets and its exportation depends exclusively on wild stock harvesting. Production through aquaculture has been acknowledged as an alternative to supply demand and reduce pressure on natural stocks, but there are still bottlenecks to overcome, such as low growth rate and survival. This study focuses on the evaluation of the growth of juveniles of H. arguinensis through substrate enrichment—direct mixing of Sargassum vulgare with sediment—in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), for 4 months, with a baseline diet of Saccorhiza polyschides. Compared to the control (no enrichment), sea cucumbers fed with enriched sediment showed the highest specific growth rate (SGR), the highest growth rate (GR) and the lowest size heterogeneity. The results obtained in this study showed a favorable growth of sea cucumbers when in the presence of a substrate enriched with Sargassum vulgare, representing an important step towards the viability of large-scale sea cucumber rearing in Europe.
Description
The authors acknowledge the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), through the strategic project LA/P/0069/2020 granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET and UIDB/04292/2020 and UIDP/04292/2020 awarded to MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre. FAS is supported by a PhD fellowship granted by the FCT (reference SFRH/BD/09563/2020) and AP under the Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECINST/00051/2018) granted by the FCT.
Keywords
Holothuroidea Echinoderm Aquaculture Sargassum Diet Growth optimization Captivity
Citation
Rodrigues, T.; Azevedo e Silva, F.; Sousa, J.; Félix, P.M.; Pombo, A. Effect of Enriched Substrate on the Growth of the Sea Cucumber Holothuria arguinensis Koehler and Vaney, 1906 Juveniles. Diversity 2023, 15, 458. https://doi.org/10.3390/ d15030458
Publisher
MDPI