Agriculture on the Galapagos
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Sea Cucumber population in the Galapagos is rapidly declining.  After the harvest of culinary sea cucumbers in the Galapagos began in the late 1980's, almost the entire population has been depleted, and signs of immediate recovery seem unlikely.  Pepineros, sea cucumber fishermen, have been very outspoken about the ban on sea cucumber fishing.  Evidence of this can be seen in the hostage situation at the Darwin Research Station and the unnecessary slaughter of hundreds of giant tortoises.  In order to quench the foreign markets for sea cucumbers, it seems beneficial to start growing sea cucumbers through aquaculture.  The commercial specimens would grow in monitored environments and be sold, while the natural sea cucumbers will be able to repopulate and recover in the oceanic environment off the coast of Galapagos.  This system would also aid scientists in researching the sea cucumber, as not a lot is known about its life cycle and growth processes.  Another benefit of aquaculture is that the facilities would not necessarily have to be on the islands.  This would be beneficial at first, when specimens must be transplanted from the ocean to the aquaculture facilities, but after a stock is established, the facilities do not need to be on the islands.  Wherever it is located, though, the profits of such an endeavour would be huge.  This method would reduce the pressures on the sea cucumber populations while not disbanding the market of sea cucumbers. 

Miller, Marc.  "Environmental Degredation."  Galapagos Coalition.  Emory University School of Law.  <http://www.law.emory.edu/sites/GALAPAGOS/tablecontents.htm>

Aquaculture of sea cucumbers

Definition

• Aquaculture- business of cultivating marine or freshwater food fish or shellfish, such as oysters, clams, salmon, and trout, under controlled conditions.

Aquaculture in the US  

• Current research goals
  • Genetic improvement of aquatic species
  • Aquatic animal health management
  • Reproduction and early development
  • Sustainability and environmental compatibility of aquaculture
  • Quality and safety of aquaculture products for consumers

Offshore aquaculture

• Because there are few regions on San Cristobal where aquaculture can be implemented, it would make most sense for us to implement offshore aquaculture
• Major issue- leasing regions in the ocean- who is allowed to start agriculture developments in certain areas?
  • Possible solution- designate a certain region of the ocean to be an agricultural zone, and have the government lease it out as if it were land.

Resources required for offshore aquaculture

• Marine based
  • Cages for breeding, growth and development, and containment.
  • Moorings, food distribution system, and cage cleaners.
  • Service boats
• Land based
  • Service vehicles
  • Fish transport vehicle

 

Importance of sea cucumbers

The threat to the sea cucumbers is being driven by culinary demand. Sea cucumbers are highly prized delicacies in many East Asian cuisines, says David Challinor, the Smithsonian Institution's science adviser. A high-quality food, sea cucumber flesh is 50%-60% protein.

Of approximately 1200 species found worldwide, approximately two dozen are considered edible. In the Galapagos, only Stichopus fuscus is fished commercially.

The soft-bodied echinoderms live on the ocean floor, ingesting mud and other sediments from with they extract their food. In bottom sediments rich in organic matter, sea cucumbers can account for 90% of the biomass, according to Elliott Norse, chief scientist of the Center for Marine Conservation in Washington, DC.

Sea cucumbers play a vital role in ocean ecology, says David Pawson, a scientist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Like earthworms on land, they turn over bottom sediments, which helps free nutrients. In the food chain, the sperm, eggs, and larvae of sea cucumbers are eaten by organisms from single-celled animals to fish, Pawson adds.

Scientists are concerned by the sea cucumber harvesting, because studies show that when there is overfishing or when a natural die-off occurs, sea cucumber numbers can be depressed for years. At Chuuk Atoll in Micronesia, for example, populations still have not recovered from overfishing before World War II, according to a 1993 study by Robert Richmond of the University of Guam.

Aquaculture

Scientists and conservationists remain concerned. Even though proposals have been made to raise sea cucumbers in captivity as Japan does, the process is not simple. It requires overcoming what Pawson calls "endless difficulties"--finding sexually mature animals, getting them to mate in the lab, finding the right food for larvae, and knowing when to release the sea cucumbers.

Sources

Posadas, Benedict. “Economic Feasibility of Offshore Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico.” [http://www.msstate.edu/dept/crec/publish/offshore%20aquaculture%20economics%202003.pdf]

Fletcher, Kirsten. “Marine Aquaculture Zoning: A Sustainable Approach in the Growth of Offshore Aquaculture.” [http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/SGLC/zoning.htm]. March 26, 2004.

“USDA Agricultural Research Service.” [http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/programs/programs.htm?NP_CODE=106].