WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2013 23 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 24) with no feed input (Mills et al. 2012). Addition of formulated feeds to support growth at higher stocking densities is a prerequisite for intensification of sandfish aquaculture. Recirculating systems offer greater control over environmental and production parameters, limiting natural variation and providing a stable environment for controlled experiments. Research is evaluating the optimum tank design, type of in-tank substrate and feed for high-density culture of sandfish. The Future of Sandfish Aquaculture The last decade has seen development agencies and funding bodies focusing on the development of coastal aquaculture as a means of alleviating poverty and improving food security in low-income food-deficient (LIFD) countries. More recently, the funding paradigm has shifted towards building resilience and adaptability in coastal communities to cope with the effects of climate change. While it is recognized that sea cucumbers are not a food to feed the world or save the planet, sea cucumber aquaculture is a proven technology that is currently supplementing the income of impoverished households. In the current global economic climate, with the price of food staples rising above the rate of inflation, any increase in disposable income that allows families to purchase food to feed their families should not be underrated. The information base for sandfish aquaculture, in the form of manuals and handbooks, is available to support wider replication and dissemination in Indo-Pacific countries. While the existence of central hatcheries to provide juveniles for growout programs is a prerequisite, this does not have to necessitate large-scale investment. Provided that key technical resources are available, the operation of small-scale, low-cost hatcheries in remote environments is possible (Gamboa 2012, Hair 2012). In general, the precautionary approach should be advocated by any new enterprise and due consideration given to the risks and constraints of sandfish aquaculture (Erickson et al. 2011). To ensure the genetic integrity of wild stocks is not compromised, hatchery operators must be responsible in their selection of broodstock and release sites for hatchery-reared juveniles. Communities should be particularly wary of investors with ‘big promises.’ There are too many sad stories from Pacific Island nations where proposals to establish sea cucumber aquaculture have simply been cover stories to provide access to, and a legal export route for, wild sea cucumber stocks (Erickson et al. 2011, Pakoa et al. 2012). Given the current price trends for sandfish on international markets, this is a legitimate and potentially high risk. While sandfish prices have historically increased in response to greater demand and dwindling supply, the increased momentum of the international movement to ban the trade in shark fins is another factor that has recently come into play. In July 2012, the Chinese government banned the serving of shark fin soup at official banquets and, in the USA, a number of states have passed laws banning the trade. The subsequent downturn in demand for shark fin has led to knock-on price effects for other high-value luxury seafood products. Since the ban, the price of sandfish in the main market in Hong Kong SAR has increased by a third (G. Clayden, personal communication). In the run up to Chinese New Year, prices of luxury items such as fish maw and abalone are 20-60 percent higher than last year (Yeong 2013). With the exception of abalone, sea cucumbers are the only other high-value dried seafood product that can be produced sustainably in aquaculture. As environmentalists increase pressure to halt unsustainable resource extraction that underpins the trade in luxury commodities such as shark fin and birds nest, there is an increasing opportunity for product replacement with sustainably farmed, high-value products such as sea cucumbers. Globally the farming of tropical sea cucumbers appears ‘on the cusp’ of success (Mills et al. 2012) and the future for sandfish aquaculture looks promising. To date, many key technical constraints to commercial production have been overcome through many years of dedicated research and trials, reviewed above. Challenges remain in discerning real opportunities for sea cucumber aquaculture, taking care to avoid excessive claims of economic benefit and environmental benevolence. Realistic levels of investment and socially practical production systems in tropical nations will allow fulfilment of this promise. FIGURE 9. Farmers gutting sandfish reared in pond culture in Vietnam. Photo: D. Mills. FIGURE 10. Co-culture of sandfish and seaweed in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Photo: M. Gutierrez.
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