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Overview of Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Sea-Ranching Research in the South-East Asian Region

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Overview of Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Sea-Ranching Research in the South-East Asian Region Overview of sea cucumber aquaculture and sea-ranching research in the South-East Asian region David J. Mills 1, Nguyen D.Q. Duy 2, Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez 3, Christina M. Raison 4 and Jacques M. Zarate 5 Abstract South-East Asia has traditionally been the global centre of production of tropical sea cucumbers for Chinese markets. Early research into culture methods took place outside this region, notably in India, the Pacific region and China. However, recent investment in Holothuria scabra (sandfish) culture has led to some significant advances within this region. The Philippines and Vietnam have been at the forefront of recent efforts, with involvement from substantial national programs and local institutions as well as international donors and scientific organisations. Smaller programs are ongoing in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Recent advances and simplifications in hatchery techniques are a major step forward, having promoted the development of experimental-scale sea-ranching ventures, and given rise to a small, commercial pond-based culture industry in Vietnam. Technology developments in nursery systems are likely to provide opportunities for culture enterprises in a broader range of environments than is now possible. A major research thrust in the Philippines towards developing cooperative sea-ranching enterprises has demonstrated good potential, and institutional/ legislative arrangements to ensure adequate property rights have been tested. Rotational culture with shrimp is proving successful in Vietnam, while the possibility of proximate co-culture of sandfish and shrimp has largely been ruled out. Small-scale experiments in the Philippines raise the possibility of co-culture in ponds with a number of finfish species. Current research directions are looking at diversifying technology to increase success in a range of coastal conditions, better understanding the social and biophysical conditions required for success, and finding ways of effectively scaling-out developed systems and technology. Introduction forays into community-based culture and sea-ranching systems (e.g. see papers in these proceedings). Globally, the husbandry of tropical sea cucumbers However, most have yet to demonstrate commercial appears ‘on the cusp’ of success—we are starting to see viability, and many stakeholders are interested to see the construction of commercial-scale hatcheries and the outcomes of current pilot ventures. This situation farms and, at the other end of the spectrum, sustained is a product of both the considerable advances that have occurred over the past decade in hatchery and 1 WorldFish Center, Penang, Malaysia grow-out technology, and the resistance of bottlenecks * Corresponding author: <[email protected]> to unconstrained success. The widespread and grow- 2 Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 3, Nha Trang, ing interest in this commodity is indicative of strong Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam market-based drivers to increase production of sea 3 Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines cucumber (Brown et al. 2010). This has a dual impact 4 University of Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom of increasing pressure on wild stocks already in crisis, 5 Aquaculture Department, South East Asian Fisheries yet also opening the door to opportunities for new Development Center, Iloilo, Philippines coastal livelihoods based on sustainable approaches to 22 culture and sea ranching. This symposium is therefore them are small-scale producers who typically have very timely, and allows researchers to take stock of cur- limited reserve capital and struggle to recover from rent benchmarks for various stages of production, and losing entire crops to disease (Mills et al. 2011). Sea gain a shared understanding of bottlenecks, constraints cucumbers show substantial promise as a sustainable and critical areas for further research. alternative species that can be grown instead of, or As the historical global centre of tropical sea with, shrimp, and should provide a more tenable risk cucumber harvest (e.g. Gamboa et al. 2004; profile. Currently, up to 12 farmers are involved in Schwerdtner Máñez and Ferse 2010), countries sandfish pond farming in Vietnam. throughout South-East Asia retain a keen interest Recent developments in sea ranching and pond in developments in culture and sustainable resource farming in the South-East Asian region are explored management, and, in many instances, sit at the fore- here, concentrating on Holothuria scabra (sandfish), front of industry and technology development. The as this is the focus of current development efforts. precipitous decline in sea cucumber stocks throughout The paper does not seek to provide a comprehensive the region (Conand 2004; Bell et al. 2008) has had review of all activities in the region, but rather is a dire implications for coastal livelihoods in some areas. ‘selective highlights’ package that may be somewhat While not well documented (but see Shiell and Knott biased towards the lead author’s experience. It is 2010; Wolkenhauer et al. 2010), it is likely that the intentionally biased towards research that does not wholesale removal of sea cucumbers has contributed appear elsewhere in this volume; much of the current to reduced resilience among coastal ecosystems. research being undertaken in the region is covered in Social impacts of this decline go beyond lost some depth by others in this symposium. The paper income. Traditionally, a significant part of the sea is organised by ontogenic staging rather than geogra- cucumber resource in South-east Asia has been phy, considering hatchery, nursery, growing-out and obtained by ‘gleaning’ in the shallows (Choo 2008). postharvest issues separately. Such fisheries provide a disproportionate social benefit, as they have no capital entry requirements Hatchery and nursery production (i.e. they are accessible to those without the means to invest) and are accessible to women and children. Simplified hatchery systems These highly vulnerable shallow resources are invariably, however, the first to disappear under The earliest reports of hatchery research on sea conditions of uncontrolled harvesting. Harvesting cucumbers date back as far as the 1930s (see Yellow deeper resources becomes more capital intensive Seas Fisheries Research Institute 1991). Today, the (requiring a boat and diving gear) and is generally culture of temperate species (notably Apostichopus the exclusive domain of men. A more insidious effect japonicus ) is in full-swing in China and Japan (Chen of overharvesting is seen as sustained pressure drives 2004), but commercial-scale hatchery production of fishers deeper in search of viable stocks; diving- tropical species is only now becoming a possibility. related accidents leading to permanent disability or Considerable research effort in India (James et al. even death are all too common in villages where sea 1994) and the Pacific region (Battaglene et al. 1999) cucumber harvesting plays an important role in liveli- laid the foundations for culture of H. scabra on a hoods. Clearly, the restoration of livelihoods based commercial scale. These techniques were further on near-shore sea cucumber harvest and improved refined through the work of the WorldFish Center and governance of the resource have great potential to partners in New Caledonia, and published in a com- benefit coastal communities throughout the region. prehensive hatchery manual for H. scabra (Agudo In addition to sea ranching or enhancing/restocking 2006). Recent advances have seen these techniques wild stocks, sea cucumber culture can play a critical further refined, simplified and customised for low- role in restoring resilient livelihoods among coastal investment systems suitable for developing countries aquaculture farmers. Shrimp production dominates (Duy 2010, 2012; Gamboa et al. 2012). Among key this sector in much of South-East Asia. The disease- modifications and simplifications that have improved related serial boom-and-bust cycle that has charac- success rates are: terised shrimp production globally (Dierberg and s a reduction in requirements for live feed produc- Kiattisimkul 1996) is strongly evident in this region. tion, to a point where a single species ( Chaetoceros Such cycles leave casualties, and prominent among muelleri ) can be used 23 s low-density culture of larvae (around 0.3 larvae/mL) response, effort has been directed at developing float- s the use of settlement plates coated with a dried ing hapa systems that can be deployed in sheltered algal ( Spirulina ) paste rather than previous marine embayments (Figure 2, right). These systems techniques of natural conditioning of plates with have great potential for community sea-ranching benthic diatoms. operations—they allow the transport of juveniles These techniques reduce the complexity of culture from hatcheries at an early stage, resulting in low systems and the incidence of infestations by parasites mortality; and engage communities in the production or copepods, and have led to substantially increased cycle at the earliest opportunity, maximising potential survival rates. Experience from Vietnam and the financial benefits (Juinio-Meñez et al. 2012a). Philippines suggests that a current ‘benchmark’ for Hapa-based nursery systems are commonly used survival from egg to 5-mm juveniles is around 2.5%. until juveniles reach a weight of 2–5 g. In previous Experience from the increasing number of pilot-scale pilot trials of both sea ranching (Juinio-Meñez et al.
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