Combined influence of water temperature, salinity and body size on energy budget in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus Selenka

The worldwide demand for sea cucumber is outpacing the sustainable harvest capabilities of fisheries. Sea cucumber ranches and farms are striving to supplement wild harvest, but variable temperature and salinity conditions in pond culture systems make sea cucumber production challenging. In this study, we evaluated how water temperature, salinity and body size affected the energy budget of pond-cultured sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus Selenka. An orthogonal design was used to identify the most suitable conditions for energy consumption and scope for growth (SFG). After the 42-day experimental period, we found that water temperature, salinity and body size significantly influenced energy consumption, while salinity and body size were the main influencing factors on SFG. Based on these results, we suggest that a water temperature of 16 °C and a salinity of 30 g L−1 are optimal conditions for stocking sea cucumber A. japonicus with a body size of 37.34 ± 4.63 g. As such, the optimum stocking seasons for sea cucumber A. japonicus may be April in the spring and October in the autumn.