Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2024

July 2 - 5, 2024

Surabaya, Indonesia

ENHANCING GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF EARLY JUVENILE SEA CUCUMBER Holothuria scabra: THE ROLE OF FERMENTED FEED DIETS

Lisa Fajar Indrianaa,b,c,d,* , Andreas Kunzmannb , Matthew James Slatera

a Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27515 Bremerhaven, Germany

b Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, 28359 Bremen, Germany

 c University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany

d National Research and Innovation Agency BRIN, 83352 Lombok, Indonesia

lisa.indriana@awi.de



 Developing efficient, economically feasible, and locally obtained diets for high-value early juvenile sea cucumber, Holothuria scabra , is crucial for ensuring productive juvenile production in sustainable aquaculture. Seven fermented algal/plant diet formulations (C (control), diet seagrass Enhalus acoroides; DH, diet macroalgae  Halimeda discoidea , DU, diet macroalgae  Ulva lactuca , DP, diet macroalgae Padina australis , DS, diet macroalgae  Sargassum polycystum ,  DA, diet green pond algae; DM, diet pond moss) are used in controlled feeding experiments for post-metamorphic juvenile  H. scabra in the current study. The diet consisting of green pond algae (DA) had the highest average individual growth rate of 0.09±0.023 g d-1, but it also had the lowest individual survival rate compared to the other diets. Acceptable growth rates of 0.03±0.001 g d-1 and 0.03±0.002 g d-1 were observed for diets  E. acoroides (C) and P . australis  (DP) with survival rates of 80.63±4.38% and 80.63±2.77%, respectively. The causes of considerable fluctuations in survival rates are unknown. However, these findings suggest that diets with acceptable survival rates may be more suitable for very early juveniles . Diets with the highest long-term individual development rates may be more suitable for larger juvenile in the later stages of nursery production. The overall results show that juvenile  H. scabra accepted most macroalgae fermented diets well. Conducting diet trials on a bigger scale and with a range of sizes and ages can help identify the best feeding practices for nursery production.