Integrated seaweed ā sea cucumber farming in Tanzania
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science
Abstract
We review piloted co-culture experiments of the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra with different seaweed species in
existing lagoon-based seaweed farms in Tanzania during 2011-2014. Key questions were whether stocking densities
would influence growth rates of both species, and whether deposit feeders would modify organic components in
the sediments. From a social perspective, we investigate if local people are readily willing to become involved in sea
cucumber farming as an optional livelihood. Seaweed-specific growth rates between 0.32 and 4.1 %dā1 were reported,
showing significantly higher values for those treatments combined with sea cucumbers than for the seaweed monoculture
(F3,1=3.20, p<0.05) at Zanzibar sites. Sea cucumber growth rates ranged from 0.14 to 1.6 gd-1, and all of the studies
showed that the treatments holding H. scabra at a low stocking density (average of 130 gm-2) presented a higher growth
performance than when it was stocked at more than 200 gm-2. Total organic matter in sediments increased in all treatments
over the sampling periods (p<0.05). Some 88 percent of the surveyed local people showed willingness to participate
in this type of mariculture for livelihood. The survey identified theft and lack of credit as the main hindrances for
this activity. H. scabra is viable for lagoon co-culture with seaweed when taking into account proper stocking density,
implications on total organic matter and total organic carbon in the system, and local acceptance by local people.
Description
Keywords
Holothuria scabra, Eucheuma, Kappaphycus, co-culture, growth rates, IMTA
Citation
Kunzmann A., Beltran-Gutierrez M., Fabiani G., Namukose M., Msuya F.E. 2018. Integrated seaweed ā sea cucumber farming in Tanzania, WIO Journal of Marine Science 17(2): 35-50.