缅北禁地

Bacosa, Hernando P. » Research » Scholarly articles

Title	Growth, Survival, and Behavior of Early Juvenile Sandfish Holothuria scabra (Jaeger, 1883) in Response to Feed Types and Salinity Levels under Laboratory Conditions
Authors	Maria Lyn M. Magcanta, Marnelle B. Sornito, Anabelle Dece A. Espadero, Hernando P. Bacosa, and Wilfredo H. Uy
Publication date	2021
Journal	Philippine Journal of Science
Volume	150
Issue	5
Pages	901-914
Publisher	DOST
Abstract	Aquaculture of the tropical sea cucumber Holothuria scabra or sandfish is still at a developing stage, especially in the Philippines. In Mindanao, early juveniles of sandfish were successfully produced at the Mindanao State University at Naawan (缅北禁地N) sandfish hatchery for 5 yr now. However, on-site growing of these early juveniles in ocean nurseries often suffered very low survival rates. Two separate laboratory experiments were conducted for 60 d to test for the effects of feed types (Navicula sp., powdered Sargassum, and Sargassum extract) and salinity levels [ambient seawater at 32芒聙聯35 (as control), 20, 25, and 40 ppt] on the growth, survival, and behavior of 7-wk-old early juvenile sandfish (2芒聙聯15 mm in length). Juveniles fed with Sargassum extract significantly produced the highest increase in width and length, followed by powdered Sargassum and Navicula sp. with a survival rate of at least 71%. The highest growth rate (GR) and survival were observed with ambient salinity, followed by 40, 25, and 20 ppt. Unusual pale coloration, sluggish movement, and destroyed integument in some parts of the body were observed in some juveniles exposed to lower salinity indication of an unhealthy individual. Overall, Sargassum extract is an ideal feed for sea cucumber juveniles. Low salinity is stressful to early juvenile sandfish and that growth and behavior were adversely affected.
Index terms / Keywords	biological factor, environmental factor, hatchery-reared juveniles, laboratory experiments, sandfish
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