Thursday, February 3, 2011

Experts look at ways to use sea cucumbers

It’s not what you’d want in your sandwiches, but the sea cucumber could be heading for a brighter future thanks to North East scientists. At Newcastle University, a team led by Professor Selina Stead is investigating how we might be able to use sea cucumbers to develop a more sustainable way of farming in the sea.

Sea cucumbers belong to the starfish and sea urchin family and there are some 1,250 known species, with many shaped like cucumbers. It is a delicacy in Asia and a rich source of nutrients, but is also an important part of the marine ecosystem. Much like worms working soil in a garden, sea cucumbers are responsible for cleaning up the sea bed – moving, consuming and mixing marine sediments.

Used widely in Chinese medicine and cuisine, sea cucumbers are also a rich source of glucosamine and chondroitin which are used in a range of common food supplements. As a result, natural stocks of sea cucumbers are now seriously depleted around the world. Dr Matthew Slater, an expert in sea cucumbers and part of Professor Stead’s team, said the aim was to investigate the sea cucumber’s potential as a natural, organic cleaner on fish farms around the world – including the UK – as well as a source of food. Read more...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers.

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