Focus on Environment

<strong>Focus</strong> Environ (2016)
The Echinoderm Fisheries in the Indo-Pacific Region
Rahman and Yusoff
tured rather than fished S. japonicus now
account for around 50% of the country’s estimated
annual production of dry sea cucumber
(Kelly, 2005). Procedures for mass
culture of the tropical Holothuria scabra
(Figure 2B) are now well established and
practiced in Australia, India, Indonesia, the
Maldives and the Solomon Islands
(Battaglene et al., 1999). Other tropical species
in culture include Actinopyga mauritania
(Figure 2C) and H. fuscogilva (Figure
2D), with the focus of the research effort
centered on the production of juveniles in
hatcheries for the restoration and enhancement
of wild stocks (Ramofafia et al., 1996,
2000).
Brood stock of Stichopus japonicus
is usually collected from the wild in spring,
when they attain appropriate sexual maturity
(Kelly, 2005). The broodstock is most commonly
induced to spawn through thermal
stimulation, by increasing the seawater temperature
in holding tanks by 3–5°C for 1 h.
Generally, H. scabra has a biannual peak in
gonadosomatic index, indicating two spawning
periods a year, but closer to the equator a
proportion of the population spawns yearround
(Battaglene et al., 1999; Kelly, 2005).
Fertilization occurs spontaneously once the
gametes are allowed to mix in seawater; the
fertilized eggs are held in suspension by aer-
A
B
C
D
Figure 2: Major commercially important species of sea cucumbers in aquaculture: A) Stichopus
japonicas, B) Holothuria scabra, C) Actinopyga mauritania and D) Holothuria fuscogilva
(Rahman, 2014a, b).
ISBN: 978-967-14475-0-5; eISBN: 978-967-14475-1-2 63