Science Centres: Fisheries

A tagged sea cucumber (Stichopus mollis). (Photo: Graeme Moss, NIWA)

Researchers at NIWA’s Mahanga Bay aquaculture facility in Wellington have achieved a New Zealand first: rearing juvenile sea cucumbers in captivity. “This is a very important step in producing sea cucumbers for co-culture systems and export to the lucrative Asian market,” says Phil Heath, manager at Mahanga Bay.

NIWA was fortunate to draw on the expertise of visiting aquaculturist Qiu Zhao-Xing from the Shandong Mariculture Institute in China to develop this technology.

“Our co-culture research suggests sea cucumbers could enhance nutrient recycling when ranched under salmon and mussel farms,” says project leader Jeanie Stenton-Dozey. “Feeding trials show that sea cucumbers thrive on organic material produced by these operations, while tagging trials show that they prefer living under mussel farms to open areas.”

“Samples of the New Zealand sea cucumber Stichopus mollis sent from Mahanga Bay have been very well-received in Taiwan,” says Dr Heath. Growth trials with over 2000 juveniles are now underway.