Post on 19-Jan-2016
California SeacucumberParastichopus californicus
Regional Food Web
Typical Coastal North Pacific
Ecosystem
P. californicus is found from
Baja Mexico to the Aleutian
Islands
Randall Davis
Marine Mammal Food Resource
asnailsodyssey.com
Sediment Bioturbation
Steve Ringman
Commercial and Subsistence Fisheries
Ecological and Societal
Global Fisheries
Over 300 Species of Sea Cucumbers are Harvested throughout the Globe
Fisheries Regions
bunnyclark.com Steve Ringman- Seattle Times
Fishing Methods
Trawl Nets SCUBA Diving
Regional Distribution
Range from the Aleutian Islands, AK to Baja California, Mexico at depths of 30 cm to 106 M
Kodiak, Alaska
Southeastern Alaska
Northern Washington
Southern California
Fisheries Concerns
Modified from Anderson et al. 2011
Regional fisheries have peaked and then
declined
Steve Ringman- Seattle Timesalibaba.com
Sea Cucumber Processing
juneauempire.com
Unprocessed Animals Cleaning
Cleaned Animals
clocktowertenants.com alibaba.com
Commercial Products
Dried body wall Frozen muscle bands
Global Aquaculture
Sea cucumber aquaculture has developed globally
Alaska Aquaculture
Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery
Seward, AK
Alaska Aquaculture
Aquaculture Development
Larvae Tanks
Broodstock Tanks Juvenile Setting Tanks
Larvae Tanks
Life Cycle Description
Male and Females release gametes directly into the water
Fertilized eggs develop into a feeding larvae
within 5 days
Larvae feed in the water column on algae for 15-100 days
Larvae settle out onto the bottom as juveniles
Juveniles feed on sediment algae growing ~1mm a month
Reproductive at 4 years then spawn annually
The California Sea Cucumber
BASIC ECOLOGY:• Several color morphs exist throughout the habitat range
from the Aleutian Islands, AK to Baja California, Mexico
• Found at depths of 1ft (~30cm) to 350 ft (~106) in sandy to rocky habitats
• Feed on sediment algae
The California Sea Cucumber
BASIC ECOLOGY:
• Average size of 1ft (~30cm) and 11oz. (~300g)
• Reproductive at 4 years
• Unable to age from natural populations
• Adults move less then 6ft (2M) daily
Animal Collections
George’s Inlet, Ketchikan, AK (55°20'N, 131°28'W)
Animal Collections
Animals are shipped live in sea water filled plastic bags
and received within 12 hours of their collections
Adult Holding Tanks
aquafauna.com
aquafauna.com
Several Adult Feeds
Tetraselmis sp.
Thalassiosira sp.
Feeding Ecology
asnailsodyssey.com
asnailsodyssey.comcorbisimages.com
~15,000 cells/ml(Isochrysis spp.)
Heated ~18°C
Dilute Sperm
Within Tanks
Each feed tank was spawned every 48 hours for 4 weeks
Procedure Development
Procedure Development
Gonoduct pore naturally removes ~ 100% of
fertilization envelopes
oceanservice.noaa.gov
Animals are not sacrificed for spawning
Fertilization rates of 88-98%
“Natural Spawning”
Egg Collection
Fertilized Eggs were filtered through a 710µm mesh followed by a 47µm mesh
Fertilization occurs within 5 minutes
8 cell cleavage within 10-11 hours
64 cell cleavage within 16-17 hours
shigen.nig.ac.jp
reedmariculture.com
algaelink.com
Larval Algal Feed Cultures
Larvae Rearing
Larvae were maintained in 190L tanks with flow through sea water
Gastrula pre-feeding larvae within 3 days
Auricularia feeding larvae within 4 days
Auricularia continue to feed and grow
Juvenile Setting
Juvenile Setting
~ 20 days post hatching ~ 25 days post hatching
~ 35 days post hatching
Questions?