Strategies for Enhancing Grow-Out Culture Technique of Community-Based Sea Cucumber (Holothuria scabra): A Case Study in Malawali Island, Sabah
Enhancing Holothuria scabra Grow-Out in Malawali
Keywords:
Grow-Out Sea Pen, Sandfish, Sediment Enrichment, growth, survivalAbstract
Initial efforts to cultivate Holothuria scabra in coastal communities on Malawali faced several challenges. Most notable were the high mortality rate and slow growth, especially after several harvests. In this study, an attempt was made to improve cultivation techniques to increase the growth and survival rate of hatchery-produced H. scabra on Malawali Island. A comparative analysis of growth and survival rates of 50 H. scabra juveniles (8.68 ± 3.88 g [mean ± S.D.]) kept in 4 m² (stocking density: 12 ind. m⁻²) and 16 m² (3 ind. m⁻²) experimental pens with and without sediment enrichment with Sargassum spp. (enrichment ratio: 3% total biomass) for a period of 6 months was conducted. Several key biophysical parameters were recorded, including total organic matter (TOM) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a). The results indicate that lower stocking density and sediment enrichment did not lead to a higher survival rate of juvenile H. scabra. However, stocking density had a noticeable effect on the growth of juvenile H. scabra. The average final total biomass of juveniles in enriched and non-enriched pens with low stocking density was significantly higher (1890.45 g and 1667.65 g, respectively), while juveniles in enriched and non-enriched pens with high stocking density had the lowest total biomass (889.7 g and 350.15 g, respectively). While there was no significant difference in TOM content between enriched and non-enriched pens on each observation day (one-way ANOVA; p > 0.05), the pooled data showed that enriched pens had significantly higher TOM content. Conversely, the enriched pens have a significantly higher Chl-a concentration than the non-enriched pens. Conclusively, the research findings indicate that a stocking density of 3 ind. m⁻² is a feasible approach to maximise the biomass of H. scabra in grow-out pens. On Malawali Island, it was also discovered that while a 3% sediment enrichment alters the properties of the sediment, it is insufficient to sustain H. scabra's ideal development and survival. This study offers insights into sea cucumber farming in the region but highlights the need for further research. Future studies should determine optimal sediment enrichment ratios and use larger sample sizes with sufficient replicates for more conclusive results.
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