Effect of Enriched Substrate on the Growth of the Sea Cucumber Holothuria arguinensis Koehler and Vaney, 1906 Juveniles

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.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the growth of H. arguinensis juveniles through substrate enrichment in recirculating aquaculture systems. Sea cucumbers fed with enriched sediment showed the highest growth rate and the lowest size heterogeneity compared to the control group. This study demonstrates the potential for large-scale sea cucumber rearing in Europe.