Advances in sea cucumber aquaculture

Studies have revealed that sea cucumbers may contain beneficial substances, such as anti-carcinogens, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that may be able to help combat diseases and conditions such as arthritis, obesity, diabetes and fatigue. However, many sea cucumber species are threatened with extinction, so Norwegian researchers are looking for ways to farm them commercially — on land.

“No-one has yet succeeded in getting our sea cucumbers to spawn and produce larvae that have developed into adults,” said Jan Ove Evjemo, a researcher at SINTEF Ocean, Norway.

Researchers at SeaLab have undertaken a project to get sea cucumbers to produce offspring in the 2020 season. “Our main challenge is to get the animals to spawn and then identify effective ways of feeding the larvae. This is the exciting aspect of our work,” Evjemo said.

Sea cucumbers spawn in the same way as fish; the female produces eggs that are fertilised by male sperm in the water. After hatching, the larvae are free-swimming for a short time before they seek out the bottom where they live out the rest of their lives. As Norwegian sea cucumbers are not so different from those found in Asia, researchers will be testing out a number of the farming methods employed in the Far East.

Once researchers get the sea cucumbers to spawn, they intend to construct an onshore aquaculture facility in which they can be farmed to marketable size. It is hypothesised that the sea cucumbers could grow faster in a controlled land-based system than they do in the wild. In the oceans, they can grow up to 50 cm in length.

The research project is carried out in collaboration with health food manufacturer Seafood Home, which produces a dietary supplement entirely sourced from sea cucumbers.

“The vast majority of locations where sea cucumbers are harvested have been over-exploited. This is why it is important to find ways of producing them commercially by farming,” Evjemo said.

While developing an effective farming method for the sea cucumbers, the researchers are also planning detailed studies of the substances they contain. SINTEF analytical biochemist Antonio Sarno will be examining the bioactive substances found in sea cucumbers.

“It will be very exciting to take a closer look at what kinds of benefits these may have on our health — whether the organism is consumed directly as food or in the form of extracts used in dietary supplements and medicines,” Sarno said.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/triocean