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Beltran-Gutierrez M., S.C.A. Ferse, A. Kunzmann, S. Stead, F. Msuya, T. Hoffmeister & M. Slater 2014. Co-culture of sea cucumber Holothuria scabra and red seaweed Kappaphycus striatum. Aquaculture Research, (2014)1–11. |
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Commercially valuable sea cucumbers are potential
co-culture species in tropical lagoon environments,
where they may be integrated into established
aquaculture areas used for seaweed farming. In the
current study, wild-caught juvenile sea cucumbers,
Holothuria scabra, and red seaweed Kappaphycus striatum
were co-cultured on Zanzibar, United Republic
of Tanzania. Sea cucumbers (97 g 31 SD,
n = 52) were cultured in mesh enclosures at initial
cage stocking densities of 124 21 SD and
218 16 SD g m
2 under seaweed culture lines.
Over 83 days, individual growth rate (1.6 g d
1
0.2 SD) of sea cucumbers at low stocking density
was significantly higher (v2 = 8.292, d.f. = 1,
P = 0.004) than at high-stocking density (0.9 g
d
1 0.1 SD). Seaweed individual growth rates
[6.27 ( 0.3 SE) g d
1] were highest in co-culture
with sea cucumber at low density but did not differ
significantly from high sea cucumber density or
seaweed monoculture treatments (v2 = 3.0885,
d.f. = 2, P = 0.2135). Seaweed growth varied
significantly (v2 = 35.6, d.f. = 2, P < 0.0001) with
sampling period, with the final sampling period
resulting in the highest growth rate. Growth performance
for seaweed and sea cucumbers
(v2 = 3.089, d.f. = 2, P = 0.21 and v2 = 0.08,
d.f. = 1, P = 0.777 respectively), did not differ significantly
between monoculture and co-culture
treatments, yet growth in co-culture was comparable
with that reported for existing commercial monoculture. Results indicate H. scabra is a highly
viable candidate species for lagoon co-culture with
seaweed. Co-culture offers a more efficient use of
limited coastal space over monoculture and is recommended
as a potential coastal livelihood option
for lagoon farmers in tropical regions. |
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