About this Research Topic
Sea cucumbers are echinoderms with key ecological roles in marine ecosystems. They are fished worldwide as food and for their various nutraceutical and pharmacological properties. Over the years, poorly managed fisheries in many countries have led to overexploitation and resulted in local population declines. Nonetheless, sea cucumber demand shows an increasing trend and, consequently, fishing grounds have expanded to new regions, targeting new species, and aggravating the problem. It is important to acknowledge that present and future stock depletion is a reality under current exploitation conditions in many countries. Aquaculture can have a crucial role in supporting the conservation of natural resources through reduced fishing pressure and wild-stock re-seeding and, thus, help meet global sea cucumber demand. The historic low-economic relevance of sea cucumbers in new fishing regions has left a knowledge gap regarding the biological and ecological aspects of species in those regions, knowledge that is crucial for stock management and for developing appropriate rearing techniques. Successful approaches to the management of sea cucumbers need to incorporate robust management strategies and mitigation measures that include aquaculture options for potential restocking or for enhanced production potential. All these measures need to be developed, prepared, and applied across diverse user groups.
The global status and course of sea cucumber exploitation rationalizes the need for an increase in sea cucumber R&D. Topics like population status, demographics, habitat preferences, distribution patterns, growth strategies, reproductive cycles, and behavioural or life-history traits are understudied, but paramount for successful stock management and sustainable fisheries. Additionally, the development of sea cucumber aquaculture, as an alternative to fisheries, to supply international markets has led to a plethora of recent research on the subject. Advances in the successful integration of deposit feeders, such as sea cucumbers, into rearing systems with organisms at other trophic levels−in what is commonly known as Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)−have occurred and offer the promise of more efficient and sustainable production methods. All these topics require novel research approaches for the validation and application of these methodologies.
This Research Topic intends to build on the knowledge of the biological and ecological traits of emergent and traditionally marketed sea cucumber species. It will also address the sustainable management of holothurians through recent advances in stock assessment, fisheries management, adaptation to global changes, sustainable rearing techniques, nutrition and feeding, and animal welfare, as well as nutritional properties, bioaccumulation of contaminants, and other relevant research topics for the development of strategies to counteract stock depletion, encourage sustainable resource management, and generate knowledge to allow aquaculture production for new target species or to improve historically-cultured ones. Original Research, Review Articles, and Case Studies are the types of journal articles expected.
The global status and course of sea cucumber exploitation rationalizes the need for an increase in sea cucumber R&D. Topics like population status, demographics, habitat preferences, distribution patterns, growth strategies, reproductive cycles, and behavioural or life-history traits are understudied, but paramount for successful stock management and sustainable fisheries. Additionally, the development of sea cucumber aquaculture, as an alternative to fisheries, to supply international markets has led to a plethora of recent research on the subject. Advances in the successful integration of deposit feeders, such as sea cucumbers, into rearing systems with organisms at other trophic levels−in what is commonly known as Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)−have occurred and offer the promise of more efficient and sustainable production methods. All these topics require novel research approaches for the validation and application of these methodologies.
This Research Topic intends to build on the knowledge of the biological and ecological traits of emergent and traditionally marketed sea cucumber species. It will also address the sustainable management of holothurians through recent advances in stock assessment, fisheries management, adaptation to global changes, sustainable rearing techniques, nutrition and feeding, and animal welfare, as well as nutritional properties, bioaccumulation of contaminants, and other relevant research topics for the development of strategies to counteract stock depletion, encourage sustainable resource management, and generate knowledge to allow aquaculture production for new target species or to improve historically-cultured ones. Original Research, Review Articles, and Case Studies are the types of journal articles expected.
Keywords: Sea Cucumber Biology, Nutrition, Reproduction, Phylogeography, Restocking; Sea Cucumber Stock Management and Fisheries; Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA); Bioactive Compounds; Pollutant Bioaccumulation; Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture
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