Effect of various protein sources in formulated diets on the growth and body composition of juvenile sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka).

摘要

The sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus, Selenka) is an important fishery product in Korea, China and Japan (Sloan 1984). The demand for this species has increased in response to an increased interest in healthy human foods. However, landings of wild sea cucumber have declined continuously due to overexploitation (Conand 2004; Uthicke 2004). Land-based intensive culture of sea cucumbers has recently been established in Korea and China. Algae powder is commonly used as an important feed ingredient for sea cucumber (Sui 1989; Battaglene, Seymour & Ramofafia 1999). Although algae powder yields good growth, it is difficult to ensure a constant supply, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The nutritional composition changes with the season (Lobban & Harrison 1994), the shelf-life is limited, affecting quality, and labour expenses for harvesting are high (Lawrence, Olave, Otaiza, Lawrence & Bustos 1997; Fernandez & Pergent 1998).