De Vos, Bas C., Cyrus, Mark D., Bolton, John J., and Macey, Brett M. (2024) Effect of basket height and stocking density on production of the sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla: insights and recommendations. Aquaculture International. (In Press)

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Abstract

Basket height and stocking density are crucial and related factors for successful commercial sea urchin aquaculture, but these factors have not been definitively determined for production of Tripneustes gratilla. This study investigated the effects of varying basket heights (deep 30 cm vs. shallow 15 cm) and stocking densities (4, 6 and 8 kg.m−2 or 13, 19 and 24% coverage of available basket surface area) on aquacultural production of T. gratilla. Contrary to previous suggestions, reduced consumption was identified as the cause of decreased production in deeper baskets. Consumption was significantly higher in shallow baskets than deep baskets for both the fresh seaweed, Ulva lacinulata, (W = 38, p = 0.026) and formulated feed (W = 76.5, p = 0.007). Consequently, baskets of approximately 15 cm deep are recommended to enhance production of T. gratilla and possibly other urchin species. Two subsequent trials assessed production of T. gratilla at different stocking densities. Trial 1 aimed to maximize urchin size over a three-month grow-out period using fresh U. lacinulata, while trial 2 focused on enhancing gonad production over two months using formulated feed. Although greater stocking density significantly reduced the specific growth rates of individual urchin mass in both trials (p < 0.044), there was no significant impact on mortality, net production or gonad size and quality. The variations in growth rates were attributed to spine loss resulting from negative behavioural interactions (F2, 9 = 9.551; p = 0.005). Based on the objectives of both grow-out and gonad-enhancement phases, we recommend a stocking density of approximately 20% coverage.

Item ID:	81740
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1573-143X
Keywords:	Tripneustes gratilla, Stocking density, Echinoculture, Sea urchin, Grow out, Gonad enhancement
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Date Deposited:	25 Mar 2024 22:35
FoR Codes:	30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3005 Fisheries sciences > 300501 Aquaculture @ 100%
SEO Codes:	10 ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRIMARY PRODUCTS > 1002 Fisheries - aquaculture > 100299 Fisheries - aquaculture not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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