Sea Cucumber Research

Sea Cucumber Research: Regenerative Growth Experiment

I continue to work on an investigation into the regenerative growth of sea cucumbers, Stichopus vastus and S. hermanii, was started in collaboration with aquaculture researchers Richard Page and Lei Rechelluul. Stichopus vastus and hermanii are the source of a Palauan traditional food known as ngimes. Traditional practice is to harvest the guts of the sea cucumber for a delicacy and return the body to the sea to regenerate. In some cultures the body of the sea cucumber is dried and used as medicine. Aquaculture of these species aims to benefit the preservation of food culture and diet diversity in Palau. This research project quantifies regrowth of the anal, oral, and middle parts following dissection of the animal in different proportions.

I recently summited an abstract of this research to present at the National Association of Marine Educators in Bellingham Washington in July 2023.

Stichopus hermanii

Measurement prior to dissection.

Stichopus vastus

Each sea cucumber was dissected and parts were measured. The anal end and the oral end of the sea cucmber were identified.

Halves

One strategy was to cut the sea cucumbers in half.

Two-thirds/One-third

Another dissection strategy was to divide the sea cucmber into a two thirds and a one third portion. In some cases the larger portion was the oral end and in other case the larger portion was the anal end.

Equal Thirds

Another dissection strategy in the epxeriment was to cut the sea cucumber into thirds.

Data

Mass and length of each portion of the sea cucumber, anal, oral, and middle, was recorded at the start and approximatley every week after intial dissection.

Ngimes

The internal "guts" of the sea cucumber spill out upon dissection. These are a delicacy called "ngimes" in Palau. Traditionally the body of the sea cucmber is returned to the sea to regenerate. In some cultures the body is cut into smaller pieces and dried are used for medicine due its regenerative properties.

Weighing

Each portion of the sea cucmber was weighed in grams.

Living conditions

Sea cucumbers were housed in mesh trays floating in a flow through raceway tank.

Feeding

Christine fed the sea cucumbers live micro-algae feed daily. During feeding water flow was turned off for half and hour.

Regrowth

Those portions of sea cumbers which were the oral end and also larger in size at the initial dissection regrew more quickly.

Mortality

All middle portions of sea cucumbers, those without mouths or anuses, died within about two weeks. Oral ends also seemed to have a higher mortality rate than the anal ends of the sea cucumbers.

Wrapping Up

Finalizing results and presenting the project at the National Marine Educators Association Conference in Bellingham Washington, July 2023

These data show that if the mouth end of the dissected sea cucumber with a mouth is of sufficient size it will regrow more quickly than the anal end.

These data show that while mortality of the anal end of diessected sea cucmbers is lower they grow back much more slowly than the mouth ends.

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