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Suspended culture of the sea cucumber A postichopus japonicus below a P acific oyster raft – potential for integrated multi‐trophic aquaculture
Author(s) -
Yokoyama Hisashi
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
aquaculture research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-2109
pISSN - 1355-557X
DOI - 10.1111/are.12234
Subject(s) - oyster , apostichopus japonicus , sea cucumber , biology , fishery , phytoplankton , trophic level , aquaculture , oceanography , ecology , nutrient , fish <actinopterygii> , geology
To discuss the possibility of co‐culturing P acific oyster with the sea cucumber A postichopus japonicus , a field experiment was conducted in an oyster farm. A postichopus japonicus juveniles (mean wet weight, 0.08 g) were cultured below an oyster raft and at a control station for 216 days, and the wet weight and stable isotope ratios (δ 13 C, δ 15 N) were analysed together with settling organic matter ( OM ) collected using sediment traps. All sea cucumbers cultured below the raft survived (survival rate, 100%), while at the control station one individual disappeared (96%). During 216 days, the juveniles at the oyster and control stations grew to a mean weight of 5.5 and 2.6 g, attaining respective specific growth rates of 2.0% and 1.6% (paired t ‐test, P < 0.001). Settlement rates of carbon and nitrogen at the oyster station were ~5 times larger than those at the control station. The stable isotope analysis showed that settling OM at both stations originated from coastal phytoplankton and that phytoplankton represented the primary food source for A . japonicus . The rapid growth of A . japonicus at the oyster station was concluded to be due to the abundant supply of oyster biodeposits, which could be ingested by this species.