California Seacucumber
Parastichopus californicus
Regional Food Web
Typical Coastal
North Pacific
Ecosystem
P. californicus
is found from
Baja Mexico to
the Aleutian
Islands
Ecological and Societal
asnailsodyssey.com
Randall Davis
Marine Mammal Food Resource
Sediment Bioturbation
Steve Ringman
Commercial and Subsistence Fisheries
Global Fisheries
Fisheries Regions
Over 300 Species of Sea Cucumbers
are Harvested throughout the Globe
Fishing Methods
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Trawl Nets
Steve Ringman- Seattle Times
SCUBA Diving
Regional Distribution
Range from the Aleutian Islands, AK to Baja California,
Mexico at depths of 30 cm to 106 M
Fisheries Concerns
Regional fisheries have
peaked and then
declined
Modified from Anderson et al. 2011
Sea Cucumber Processing
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Unprocessed
Animals
Steve Ringman- Seattle Times
Cleaning
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Cleaned
Animals
Commercial Products
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Dried body wall
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Frozen muscle bands
Global Aquaculture
Sea cucumber aquaculture has developed globally
Alaska Aquaculture
Seward, AK
Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery
Alaska Aquaculture
Larvae Tanks
Larvae Tanks
Broodstock Tanks
Juvenile Setting Tanks
Aquaculture Development
Life Cycle Description
Fertilized eggs develop
into a feeding larvae
within 5 days
Male and Females release
gametes directly into the water
Reproductive at 4 years
then spawn annually
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
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
Several Adult Feeds
Tetraselmis sp.
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Thalassiosira sp.
aquafauna.com
Feeding Ecology
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asnailsodyssey.com
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Procedure Development
Within Tanks
~15,000 cells/ml
(Isochrysis spp.)
Heated ~18°C
Dilute Sperm
Each feed tank was spawned every 48 hours for 4 weeks
Procedure Development
“Natural Spawning”
Gonoduct pore naturally
removes ~ 100% of
fertilization envelopes
Fertilization rates
of 88-98%
Animals are not
sacrificed for spawning
oceanservice.noaa.gov
Egg Collection
Fertilization occurs
within 5 minutes
8 cell cleavage
within 10-11 hours
Fertilized Eggs were filtered through a
710µm mesh followed by a 47µm mesh
64 cell cleavage
within 16-17 hours
Larval Algal Feed Cultures
algaelink.com
reedmariculture.com
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Larvae Rearing
Gastrula pre-feeding
larvae within 3 days
Auricularia feeding
larvae within 4 days
Auricularia continue
to feed and grow
Larvae were maintained in 190L
tanks with flow through sea water
Juvenile Setting
Juvenile Setting
~ 35 days post hatching
~ 20 days post hatching
~ 25 days post hatching
Questions?